Citation

Patchin JW, Hinduja S. J. Adolesc. Health 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.10.010

PMID

31831321

Abstract

Sexting is “the sending or receiving of sexually explicit or sexually suggestive images” (photos or video) usually via mobile devices [1]. Contrary to common belief, most teens are not participating in the behavior. Our 2016 research found that just 12% of middle and high school students across the U.S. had sent a nude photo or video of themselves to someone at some point in their lifetime [2]. About 19% said they had received a nude photo from someone else. These numbers approximate a recent review of 39 other studies (involving more than 110,000 participants), which found that 14.8% of youth had sent and 27.4% had received sexually explicit content [3]. It is also uncommon for adolescents to actively solicit others for “sexts.” Our 2016 research found that fewer than 10% of youth had asked someone for a nude image, and only about 18% said they had been asked [2]. In short, sexting is not the epidemic that the media generally portrays [4].

That said, some teens are exchanging nude images. In addition, recent data suggest that the number is increasing. Our newly collected (unpublished) data from a national sample of nearly 5,000 youth aged 12–17 years in April 2019 found that 14% had sent and 23% had received sexually explicit images. These figures represent an increase of 13% for sending and 22% for receiving from what was found in 2016 [5]. Research suggests that participation in sexting is associated with an increased risk of cyberbullying victimization [6] and participation in risky behaviors [7], including those of a sexual nature [8,9]. These concerns, along with fears of exploitation by predatory adults [10] and a general moral panic over the thought of children sharing nudes [11], have resulted in a quagmire for youth who participate in these behaviors. ...

Language: en