Teen Sexting Linked To Real-World Risky Sexual Behavior

Teens who send and receive sexually explicit texts or photos, colloquially known as “sexting,” are likely engaging in the same kinds of risky sexual behaviors offline, finds a new survey of Los Angeles high school students.

The recent survey of about 1,800 mostly Hispanic L.A. students, ages 12 to 18, found that teens who said they had sexted were seven times more likely to be sexually active than their peers who had never sent a naughty text. About three-quarters of surveyed teens had cell phones they used regularly; 15% had sexted and 54% said they knew someone who had. Kids who said their friends were sexting were 17 times more likely to sext themselves.

Although only a minority of teens engaged in sexting, those who did were not only more likely to be sexually active, but they also had higher chances of having unprotected sex during their last sexual encounter.

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