Sexting Rates Spike Among Teenagers

The prevalence of sexting among adolescents has increased in the past two decades possibly due to an increase in smartphone ownership among teenagers, shows a study involving over a lakh participants.

The study on the sharing of sexually explicit images, videos, or messages through electronic means among teenagers involved 110,380 participants.

Spot Sexting To Avoid Behavior Problems in Teens
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‘Sexting or sharing of sexually explicit images, videos, or messages through electronic means has increased in the past two decades among teenagers.’

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The findings, based on a meta-analysis of 39 studies from 1990 to 2016, established that an estimated one in seven teenagers send sexts and one in four receives them.

Media portrayals of sexting has often implicated adolescent girls as the senders of naked photographs and adolescent boys as the requesters.

However, the study found no significant sex differences in the rate of sending or receiving sexts.

Children as Young as 7-Years Found Sexting at Schools in Britain
Children as young as seven are engaged in sexting at school, and most teachers know about the extent of social media abuse among pupils.

Moreover, the prevalences of forwarding a sext without consent and having a sext forwarded without consent were 12.0 per cent and 8.4 per cent, respectively, said researchers including Sheri Madigan, Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary in Canada.

The nonconsensual forwarding of sexts can lead to harassment by peers, cyberbullying, or blackmailing and in extreme cases lead to suicide.

Link Between Sexting and Pornography
Adolescents who view pornography or music videos are more likely to engage in sexting, in which they share sexually explicit content via text, photo or videos.

Thus the study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, stated that age-specific information on sexting and its potential consequences should regularly be provided as a component of sex education.

Efforts and resources to criminalise sexts should be redirected to educational programs on digital citizenship and healthy relationships, the researchers said.

Researchers Say 'Sexting' Still Prevalent Among US Teens
Despite the well-known risks and consequences, sexting or sending sexually explicit images by phones remains prevalent among US teenagers, states study.

Source-IANS