FaceTime Sexting Is on the Rise, What Should Parents Know?

Elsa Updated on Oct 28, 2025 Filed to: Blocker

A 14-year-old girl FaceTimed her boyfriend for less than 90 seconds. Three weeks later, that clip—illegally screen-recorded—was on a porn-site playlist labeled "teens."

All from the FaceTime call. If you think it won't happen to your kid, keep scrolling—because the fastest-growing sexting platform among middle- and high-schoolers isn't Snapchat or Instagram. It's FaceTime.

Why People Engage in FaceTime Sexting

People engage in FaceTime sexting for various reasons. Some of them include:

Real-time Connection

Unlike traditional sexting - send texts or photos, FaceTime provides a real-time connection. With FaceTime video, sexting becomes more personal and exciting as you can see your sexting partner's body language and responses instantly.

End-to-End Encryption

Since FaceTime uses end-to-end encryption (E2E) technology, people feel secure engaging in sexting in it, believing that nobody, not even Apple, can see or hear what they're up to. This gives people a sense of privacy and security while participating in FaceTime sexting.

Various Reactions and Effects Make It Fun

FaceTime now allows users to react to live videos with various playful effects, including the heart gesture. This, of course, makes sexting more fun and intriguing than ever before.

Convenient & Free

It may surprise you to learn that restarting your phone might fix Telegram notifications that do not work. This is often the quick fix to resolve many issues.

How to Prevent Sexting in FaceTime

1Enable Sensitive Content Warning

With the rise of FaceTime sexting, Apple is taking measures to address it. It has a feature - Sensitive Content Warning - to discourage users from engaging in sexting and seeing explicit media.

This feature can detect nude photos and videos in FaceTime, Messages, AirDrop, and Contact Posters.

Once this tool discovers someone starts undressing themselves and begins exposing their nudes during a FaceTime call, it pauses calls immediately. Then, a prompt will appear, alerting users to sensitive content and allowing them to decide if they want to view the content or end the call.

According to several users, the FaceTime call freezing feature — which pauses calls when nudity is detected — appears to be available only on iOS 26. However, the "Sensitive Content Warning" option itself is available on iOS 17 and later.

To enable it on your child's phone:

Step 1.Open the "Settings" app.
Step 2.Go to "Apps > FaceTime."
Step 3.Tap "Sensitive Content Warning" and toggle it on.

2Try AirDroid Parental Control

Apart from the built-in Apple tools, you can also use AirDroid Parental Control to protect your child from FaceTime or iMessage sexting.

Thanks to its "Inappropriate Image Detection" feature, you'll quickly know if your child is saving nude pictures on their iPhone or not. And if you noticed that your teen engaged in FaceTime sexting, you have the ability to block FaceTime to stop sexting.

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3Educate Them on FaceTime Sexting

Also, try and educate your kids about FaceTime sexting. Let them know the risks associated with sexting. And make it clear to them that anyone caught sharing or making explicit videos of a teen with or without their consent can be jailed for up to 20 years. That way, your children will think twice before participating in any immoral act online.

4Set a Clear Rule about FaceTime Usage

You should also set clear rules about FaceTime usage. If possible, set a limit on how long they spend using FaceTime daily.

Additionally, teach your child how to handle situations when they see the "Sensitive Content Warning" during a call. Explain that if they encounter explicit content, they should consider ending the call immediately or talking to you about it.

Is FaceTime Sexting Safe? Some Risks Here

To be honest, FaceTime sexting is not as safe as many people think. It also comes with its own inherent risk, and we've highlighted them below.

Recording Risks

Even though FaceTime video calls are live and can't be saved, people can still take a screenshot of the call. Moreover, FaceTime won't notify of screenshots or screen recording.

Reputation Damage & Harassment

The screenshots or recordings of nude taken from a FaceTime video can be shared to embarrass the victim in public. When this happens, their reputation will be damaged among peers.

Legal Consequences

Sending or receiving explicit images of minors is classified as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Taking Texas as an example, it clearly criminalizes the possession, promotion, or distribution of CSAM — even if the images are created by the minors involved.

This means that FaceTime sexting can lead to serious legal consequences, such as criminal charges and sex offender registration.

Psychological Trauma

Come to think of it - how do they think if your child's nude images were recorded and shared publicly, would they feel? They may be regretful, depressed, and traumatized both emotionally and psychologically. And these conditions, if not well-managed, can lead them to graves.

Final Thoughts

Without mincing words, FaceTime sexting is not safe. It can damage your kids' reputation and expose them to psychological trauma, legal trouble, and harassment. To protect them from this act, you can leverage the built-in Sensitive Content Warning or the AirDroid Parental Control app.

However, the most important step is to educate your children about the dangers of sexting. Only then can they make safe decisions in the digital world.

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Elsa

Elsa has worked on a number of iOS & Android solutions, she can always find her way around almost any application. She is an accomplished, skilled and versatile writer with more than 7 years of technical article writing experience.

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