Ask QC: Is ‘sexting’ just fun or is it cheating?

Hi QC,

Would you say that ‘sexting’ is cheating? I’m steady dating my current boy friend for just over a year now, but I dated a lot before I met him so some of my former bf’s sometimes send texts and flirt a bit.

My current bf knows I text a lot but he says going too far and sexting is cheating, I don’t really see it like that, it’s just messing around and having a laugh, but he’s now told me to stop – is that fair?

DT

Hi DT and thanks for writing in with your questions and concerns. Any relationship has to have its boundaries clearly drawn out, and this doesn’t necessarliy happen immediately when two people first get together. Swapping flirtatious text messages with former boy friends may be seen as over stepping the line in some relationships, in others it may not been seen as that. So its imporatant to establish those boundaries and rules and something you both need to do and agree upon together. What may seem like some innocent fun to one person may feel more serious to another person, so respecting each others views is imperative if you are both to establish trust together. So, dear QC readers, what tips and advice can you give DT? Have you been in this situation with your partner before? Is ‘sexting’ cheating or not? If you can help in any way, then please share your wisdom and advice for all in the QComments section!
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