Engaging in sexting can impact on young people’s emotional wellbeing, self-esteem and relationships. Young people often put a lot of trust in those who they share an intimate image with. If someone they send an image to disregards that trust and shares on the image further, without their consent, it can damage that relationship, and cause emotional distress to the original sender.
Images that are nude or nearly nude can have great currency amongst young people, particularly if they include their peers. This can cause the image to be re-shared a number of times. To know that peers, or a wider group of unknown others have seen a photo that was probably orginally destined for just one person, can also result in emotional upset and embarassment.