Youth Sexting: Less Prevalent Than We Think?

A new study on teen “sexting” suggests that the phenomenon may not be as common among American middle and high-school students as previously thought.

Pediatrics magazine’s January 2012 issue features a study that took an in-depth look at sexting, defined as young people “sending or receiving sexually suggestive, nude or nearly nude images of themselves or others.”

The University of New Hampshire study, conducted through the school’s Crimes Against Children Research Center, showed that only 2.5 percent of the 10 to 17-year-olds admitted to being in nude or nearly nude photos, or creating images of themselves nude or nearly nude. As a point of reference, the “nude or nearly nude” category encompassed images of students fully clothed, but in sexy poses, and students wearing underwear or swimsuits.

That figure dropped to a mere 1.3 percent when the students were asked if the images “showed breasts, genitals or someone's bottom.”

The Pediatrics study went on to find that the older the student, the more likely s/he was to engage in sexting. The overwhelming majority of the 2.5 percent who admitted to sexting were either 16 or 17-year-olds, while only six percent of the original 2.5 percent were between the ages of 10 and 12.

The study shows similar figures with respect to students publishing these types of images. Only one percent of the students who received a sexted image forwarded it or posted it to a Web site. Likewise, a small number of respondents, only 28 percent, reported the incident to an adult.

The low rates of reported sexting in the University of New Hampshire study fly in the face of a widely cited study from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, which reported that 20 percent of teens had sent or posted nude or semi-nude picture of themselves. The disparate findings are likely due to differences in survey methodology. Compared to paper or online surveys, telephone surveys are known to produce much lower rates of “yes” responses regarding frequency of illicit behaviors such as drug use.

The University of New Hampshire study not only surveyed young people via telephone, but also used a more stringent follow-up question regarding “nude or nearly nude” photos, while the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy collected responses online and used the term “sexually suggestive, semi-nude or nude” without further defining it for the respondent.

Where does the truth lie? Probably somewhere in the middle. It seems that teens who “sext” are much more likely to send “suggestive” pictures of themselves than they are to send pictures that are actually nude. Educators should make this distinction when delivering Internet and social media safety instruction, yet they also should be clear that sending “suggestive” pictures is still not a recommended choice. They also would do well to address the role of peer pressure in teen decision-making, since studies on sexting suggest that many young people feel pressure to share inappropriate photos.

Article by Jason Tomaszewski, EducationWorld Associate Editor
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