One in four teens has sent nude a photo to someone else through text or email, according to a new study.
Researchers found that more than half of nearly 1,000 students ages 14 to 19 from seven southeast Texas public high schools were asked to send a nude photo of themselves, with most being bothered by having been asked, according to the study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine. Still, 28 percent of the students reported having sent a nude photo of themselves.
The study also found that the teens who participated in “sexting” were more likely to have had sex. Of students who reported having “sexted,” more than 77 percent of girls and 82 percent of boys also said they have had sex.
“The main implications are that sexting is prevalent, that it’s common,” Jeff Temple, the study’s lead researcher, told Bloomberg News.
The study found that white non-Hispanics and black teens were most likely to send naked photos electronically.
Age also plays a role in who “sexted.” According to the study, 16- to 17-year-olds were most likely to have been asked to send a nude photo.
“The older the person, the more likely,” Donald Strassberg, a psychology professor at the University of Utah, told Bloomberg News.
All participants in the study were high school sophomores or juniors.
The study’s authors concluded that since the age of cell phone ownership has become steadily younger, “it is essential that pediatricians, adolescent medicine specialists, and other health care providers become familiar with, routinely ask about, and know how to respond to teen sexting.”