Federal Government to Spend $40K to Study Sexting
Recently, a federal study has been approved has already cost $42,676 to discover if sexting increases risky sexual behavior of college girls. As a student getting in-state tuition at CALS, this would cover my entire year’s education here at Cornell, including room and board.
The study will track women of college age finding out information through participants’ self-reported data, diary entries, and text messages.
Even though in theory there might be a correlation between the two, this study is a blatant misuse of taxpayer money. True, sexting in itself is risky behavior because the sext’s recipient can show them to his/her friends or worse, post them online. Therefore, if a girl is sexting she is already engaging in a risky sexual act, which might make her more likely to partake in other risky sexual acts. This study aimed at finding a possible correlation between one risky sexual behavior and others is the same as doing a study to determine whether a person who drinks beer also drinks cocktails—a study whose finding anyone could determine.
Still, this all depends on the definition of a risky sexual behavior. Risky sexual behavior are acts that can result in the contraction of a sexually transmitted infection or unwanted pregnancy. Within this framework, there was actually already a study completed by the University of Texas Medical Branch, which found no link between sexting and risky sexual behaviors in teens over time.
Nicole Cember ‘16 said she does not believe the study is pointless, but agreed with my main point that the study should not be at the cost of the taxpayer.
“I think it is a good study, but I don’t know about using federal money to do it,” said Cember.
The results of this study are unlikely to yield any real benefits. It is yet another example of the government misusing taxpayer money, and it’s doubtful that the study will stop people from sexting, which has become a staple of today’s adolescent and young adult culture.
