SEXTING STUDY: 28% Of High-School Kids Have Sent A Naked Picture Of Themselves

A new study of teenage “sexting,” primarily as defined by having sent naked pictures of yourself or sex-related messages, shows that it’s much more prevalent than previously believed.

Specifically, researchers found:

• 28% of the high-school kids surveyed have sent someone a naked picture of themselves
• 31% had asked someone to send a sext
• 57% had been asked to send a sext
• Those who “engaged in sexting behaviors” were more likely than others to have engaged in sex.
• Girls who sext are more likely to have unprotected sex

The study was conducted by Jeff R. Temple, Jonathan A. Paul, Patricia van den Berg, Vi Donna Le, Amy McElhany, and Brian W. Temple, and published in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The conclusions were based on a survey of 943 high-school students (14-19 years old) at 7 high schools in southeast Texas.

The key charts:

More than 1 in 4 kids have sent a sext. About half of boys have asked someone to send a sext. Nearly 70% of girls have been asked to sen one.

More: