Teen Sexting

Sexting is defined as sending provocative personal images or video via cell phone or other electronic device, but they do NOT include spam or sexy images of people you do not know personally.

Who Sex Texts?

Teens (13-19) that have sent/posted nude or seminude pictures or video of themselves (Younger ages are on the increase beginning at 9 years):

• 20% of teens overall
• 22% of teen girls
• 18% of teen boys

Teens that are sending or posting sexually suggestive messages:

• 39% of all teens
• 37% of teen girls
• 40% of teen boys
• 48% of teens say they have received such messages

Why Do Teens Sex Text?

• 66% of teen girls say they did so to be “fun or flirtatious”
• 60% of teen boys say they did so to be “fun or flirtatious”
• 52% of teen girls did so as a “sexy present” for their boyfriend.
• 40% of teen girls said they sent sexually suggestive messages or images as “a joke.”
• 34% of teen girls say they sent/posted sexually suggestive content to “feel sexy.”
• 12% of teen girls felt “pressured” to send sexually suggestive messages or images.

In a June 2009 segment on HLN, which focused on sexting, a young high school girl called in and stated that 75% of her school is engaged in sexting and the majority of the those students’ parents have no idea.

Consequences

Because texting allows for the transmission of images, teens under the age of 18 are especially exposed to a number of legal consequences.

• When images taken on a cell phone unsurprisingly involve the teen, or their friends, and the images involve some form of nudity, the images can automatically be defined by law to constitute child pornography. As a result, the taking, sending, receiving, or distribution of such images can, under the letter of the law, constitute varying degrees of child pornography offenses.
• Additionally, another serious side effect suffered by teens who send pictures of themselves is the likelihood that their pictures will end up posted all over the internet or distributed in another form.
• Consequences have included harassment, intimidating, criminal charges of distributing or receiving pornography, and even suicide.