JPHC CE: Sexting and Sextortion in Adolescents: Essentials for the PNP

1.0 NAPNAP contact hour. This continuing education activity is offered free to NAPNAP Members. For nonmembers, this continuing education activity rate is $10. Sexting and sextortion are increasingly common concerns among adolescents, presenting significant challenges for pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs). Sexting, or digital sharing of self-produced nude or otherwise sexual images, is increasingly seen as a normative part of adolescent sexual exploration, but carries substantial risks, particularly when images are shared non-consensually, by minors, or used as a method of bullying or extortion (“sextortion”). PNPs play a critical role in early identification of any nonconsensual texting and by providing education to adolescents so they may explore their sexuality safely, resist peer pressure, and maintain boundaries.
J Pediatr Health Care (2026) 40, Issue 1, P162-173.

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Participants are forbidden to reproduce, republish, redistribute, or resell this course in any other form. For copyright-related questions, please email your question to: [email protected] 

Copyright © 2025 by the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This continuing education activity is administered by the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) as an Agency providing continuing education credit. Individuals who complete this program and earn a 70% or higher score on the post test will be awarded 1.0 NAPNAP contact hour.

Keywords: Adolescence, sexting, sextortion 

Target Audience

Pediatric-focused advanced practice registered nurses

Learning Objectives

1. Examine the difference between sexting and sextortion.

2. Identify the developmental, social, and cultural factors that influence a teen’s views and behavior regarding sexting.

3. Explain the potential negative psychosocial sequelae of teen sexting and sextortion.

4. Articulate the role of the pediatric nurse practitioner in screening for sexual content in the adolescent’s social media usage.

5. Describe the role of the pediatric nurse practitioner in discussing social media usage with adolescent patients and their families.

6. Explain the potential legal consequences that arise when sexting involves minors.



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Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 Contact hours
Course opens: 
01/01/2026
Course expires: 
02/28/2027
Cost:
$10.00
Rating: 
0

Ellen M. Chiocca, PhD, CPNP-PC, FAPSAC, Associate Teaching Professor, Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri, Columbia, Columbia, MO. 

Gail Hornor, DNP, CPNP, SANE-P, FAPSAC, Senior Forensic Nursing Specialist, International Association of Forensic Nurses, Arvada, CO. 

Rebecca Sidberry, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, BA, CDCES, Assistant Teaching Professor, Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri, Columbia, Columbia, MO. 

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest:
None to report.

Correspondence: Ellen M. Chiocca, PhD, CPNP-PC, FAPSAC, Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri, Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211

e-mail: [email protected].

 

 

Available Credit

  • 1.00 Contact hours

Price

Cost:
$10.00
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