Sexting So Common U.S. Schools Must Cover How to Do It Safely, Say Experts

Sexting has become so common among young adults that youth sex-ed programs should provide information on how to engage in the practice safely, the authors of a study have suggested.

For the study published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, a team of researchers investigated the rates and characteristics of sexting in a sample of almost 3,000 young adults, primarily from the United States and Canada, shedding new light on the behavior.

"Sexting," per the study, involves the sending of sexual images or videos of oneself to others—a practice that evidence suggests is becoming more common in young adults.

"There is mounting evidence that sexting is a common sexual behavior, but most of these studies are based on university samples—we wanted to see the rates and characteristics of sexting in the community," Kelly Babchishin, a researcher in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University in Canada and an author of the study, told Newsweek.

In the study, Babchishin and colleagues used an online survey to ask young adults aged between 18 and 30 about their sexting behaviors. The researchers used data from 2,828 participants, including 1,491 cisgender women and 1,337 cisgender men.

Around half of the participants identified their sexual orientation as straight, while around a quarter reported being bisexual. Smaller proportions identified as pansexual, gay or lesbian, asexual or "other."

Analyzing the survey responses, the researchers found that most participants (around 81 percent) said they had sent a consensual sext. In comparison, about 34 percent of respondents said they had sent a non-consensual sext—i.e., without first inquiring if the receiver wanted to receive it.

Meanwhile, around 81 percent of respondents said they had received a consensual sext, and roughly 60 percent reported receiving a non-consensual sext.

The most frequently selected option on the survey for sending a consensual sext (around 49 percent), receiving a consensual sext (about 47 percent), and receiving a non-consensual sext (about 33 percent) was "11 or more times." This suggests that the participants sexted often.

In contrast, most participants (around 65 percent) reported that they had never sent a non-consensual sext. Of those who had, most reported doing so once or twice.

Finally, the survey revealed that most participants began sexting at a relatively young age—most by 16 or 17 years old. The study also uncovered the most common reasons that the participants engaged in sexting.

"Sexting...is done as a means to flirt, because we find it sexually arousing, or because someone sent us a sext, and we wanted to reciprocate," Babchishin said.

The research also revealed evidence of coercion in some cases. The three least common motivations reported for sexting, for example, were because participants were paid, they were threatened to send one, or because they wanted to receive an adverse reaction from the other individual.

The team found that sexual coercion was a gendered phenomenon, with one in 10 cisgender women and one in 50 cisgender men reporting having sent a sext due to being threatened.

Sexual orientation was also found to be a relevant factor, with different patterns in sexting experiences emerging across identities. For example, the researchers found a larger proportion of LGBPA+ participants (a term the scientists used to refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, and other identities) sexting than non-LGBPA+ participants. The results also showed that LGBPA+ participants sent their first sext at a younger age.

"Sexting may serve as an easy and accessible way for young people to experiment and explore their sexuality, particularly among sexual minorities," Babchishin said. "Our study adds to the mounting evidence that sexting is a normative sexual behavior among youth and young adults."

"Given the high use of sexting even among youths, a comprehensive sexual education program should include information on sexting consent and safe sexting practice rather than following an abstinence approach," she said.