Of all the weird and wonderful things I’ve found on Netflix this may be one of my favourites.

Now how do you talk about sexting? It’s such a private (at least you’d hope) thing that is shared between people. But is it really all sunshine and rainbows? Well no, of course not, there’s a dark world of sexting and while this documentary is funny and informative it also shows how dangerous some simple pictures or words on a screen can be.

Within the documentary we are taught where sexting came from, why people do it, how technology has changed to make the act easier, and how to try it yourself. This documentary was actually very informative and really outlined a lot of interesting points while still keeping the viewer engaged and happy.

We speak to people from all walks of life, from people who love a good flirty chat to people who don’t really get it.

So what is sexting?

Well it’s sending messages or pictures to a person or people outlining your lust for them. These can be in fifty shades of grey style texts or just a simple lingerie picture. It’s something most of the world has done, and originates back centuries when people would pen naughty letters to one another.

Is it a good thing? I think so. It reminds the person you’re speaking to that you are attracted to them and can be a big help in building up tension for a future meeting.

But can it go too far? Now this is the big thing. While sexting is popular the fact that smartphones are being handed out to younger and younger generations this could cause an issue. First of all, anyone under a certain age who engages in it could be viewed as child pornography and if caught could face jail time. Then there’s the fear that any pictures you show could be shared with others. At least with Snapchat your picture is deleted and you are notified if the image was screenshotted but other apps don’t do that. Anything you send over text or Facebook or wherever could be kept forever, spread wherever, and anyone could find it.

While we have the revenge porn law in the UK which means a person sharing private photos without permission could end up with jail time it doesn’t help the loss of trust or the heartache the person who sent the photo will feel. You could end up feeling ashamed or disgusted with yourself, your family could find out and depending on their background the response could be severe.

So while sexting is fun and a little bit naughty it’s good to know your boundaries and know how to do it safely. The golden rules in my mind:

1 Make sure the person you are sending anything to you can trust, use Snapchat if you can so you can make sure the person isn’t spreading your messages or pictures to other people.

2 If you’re sharing a sexy picture don’t include your face or anything that could connect the picture back to you. That way if it does somehow get out you can deny it.

3 Be respectful. This is such a private part of someone’s life and you should feel honoured their sharing this part of them with you.

Finally sexting isn’t for everyone but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. With the documentary I believe if you want to delve deeper into the world it’s a great place to start and offers some very honest and very helpful advice.

What do you think of sexting?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding