Study warns of sexting surge among teens

By Stephen Beech

A worrying surge in "sexting" among teenagers has been revealed.

One in three teens has received a "sext" while almost one in four has sent one, according to a new study.

Sexting has become "normalized" among some groups of teenagers, say researchers.

They warned that the trend exposes youngsters to serious risks - including sextortion, coercion and privacy violations.

Sexting involves sending or receiving sexually suggestive images or video.

Sextortion is the threat to share explicit or intimate images without consent to pressure someone into providing more images, sexual favors, money or other demands.

Experts say sextortion is especially harmful for teens, who are still developing impulse control, risk assessment and emotional regulation.

The study involved a sample of 3,466 American adolescents aged 13 to 17.

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and the University of Wisconsin explored the prevalence of sexting, related negative outcomes, and differences across age, race, gender and sexual orientation.

The findings, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, show that nearly around one in three (32.4%) reported having received a sext, and nearly one in four (23.9%) said they had sent one.

The figures represent a "marked" increase from what the researchers found in a 2019 study using the same methodology, where 23% had received and 14% had sent a sext.

Study co-author Professor Sameer Hinduja, of FAU, said: “Sexting has become normalized in some peer groups, a trend amplified by increased reliance on digital communication during and after COVID-19.

“The rise of AI tools also makes it easier to create realistic sexual content without actual sexting, which can be used in sextortion schemes.”

He said that, compared to those who only sexted with a current boyfriend or girlfriend, teens who sent sexts to someone outside a current relationship were more than 13 times as likely to have their image shared without consent.

They were also nearly five times as likely to experience sextortion, even after accounting for gender, sexual orientation, race and age.

Boys were significantly more likely than girls to both send and receive sexts.

Non-heterosexual teens reported higher participation than heterosexual younsters.

Older teens were generally more likely to sext, but the pattern was not linear with 15- and even 13-year-olds reporting high levels of involvement.

Requests for sexts were even more common than sending, according to the findings published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Around three in 10 teenagers said they had been asked for a sext, while nearly 20% reported asking someone else.

Boys were more likely than girls to both ask for and be asked for sexts.

Non-heterosexual teens were especially likely to be asked- suggesting heightened exposure to pressure, according to the researchers.

Among the teens who had sent a sext, nearly half (46.8%) said their image was later shared with others without their permission.

One in three who had received a sext admitted sharing it without consent.

Boys, heterosexual teens, and white teens were more likely to report both victimization and participation in non-consensual sharing.

Younger teenagers were at the greatest risk, according to the findings.

More than 60% of 13-year-olds who sent a sext said it was shared without their permission, compared with just over 40% of 17-year-olds.

Sextortion emerged as a "strikingly common" experience, according to the research team.

Nearly half (49.6%) of teenagers who had sent a sext reported later being targeted with sextortion, and almost a third of those who had received a sext admitted threatening someone else to get what they wanted.

Boys were "significantly" more likely to both experience sextortion and engage in it, while white teenagers were most likely to perpetrate sextortion.

Hinduja said: “Our findings make it clear that sexting is not rare among adolescents – it’s a common part of many young people’s digital lives.

“What is deeply concerning, however, is how often these experiences are tied to coercion, non-consensual sharing and sextortion.

"Our study underscores the urgent need to move beyond simple ‘don’t sext’ messages and instead provide youth with meaningful education around consent, boundaries and digital safety, while equipping parents, educators and policymakers with the tools to better prevent harm and respond when it occurs.”

Hinduja and his co-author Professor Justin Patchin, of the University of Wisconsin, say that educational efforts should prepare teenagers to recognize and respond to the growing prevalence of distressing sexual behavior they may experience.

Hinduja added: “Supporting teens in developing digital literacy and healthy online habits is just as important as guiding their in-person behavior.

“By teaching youth how to recognise risky situations, protect their privacy, and make informed choices online, we can reduce harm while respecting their autonomy.

"It’s not about fear or punishment – it’s about equipping them to navigate a complex digital world safely.”