Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
"Sexting is part of the new landscape of the sex lives of teens," says researcher Eric Rice, PhD, assistant professor of social work at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
While some experts have suggested that sexting is an alternative to having sex for teens, this research suggests otherwise.
Teens who sexted were more likely to be sexually active, and some were more likely to engage in risky sex. He found that 15% of teens who had access to a cell phone had sexted, and 54% reported knowing someone who had sent a sext.
Rice says sexting should be addressed in sex education classes. The topic might also help parents open a conversation about sex with their teens, he says.
The study is published in Pediatrics.
While some experts have suggested that sexting is an alternative to having sex for teens, this research suggests otherwise.
Teens who sexted were more likely to be sexually active, and some were more likely to engage in risky sex. He found that 15% of teens who had access to a cell phone had sexted, and 54% reported knowing someone who had sent a sext.
Rice says sexting should be addressed in sex education classes. The topic might also help parents open a conversation about sex with their teens, he says.
The study is published in Pediatrics.
Sexting & Sexual Behaviors: Details
Rice looked at data from more than 1,800 Los Angeles high school students. Most students were 14 to 17 years old.
They answered questions about their own sexting practices and those of their friends.
They reported on their sexual activity and safe sex practices.
Nearly 87% of the students described themselves as heterosexual. The others reported being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or unsure of their orientation.
Those who had friends who sexted were much more likely to sext themselves, about 17 times more likely, Rice found.
And, "teens who sext are seven times more likely to be sexually active," he says.
Rice found differences between straight teens and other teens. Those who reported being non-heterosexual were nearly three times as likely to report sexting. They were 1.5 times more likely to report sexual activity and nearly two times as likely to have unprotected sex at their last encounter.
He cannot explain the differences, but speculates that the Internet may be an easier way to connect for non-heterosexual teens, who may fear stigma otherwise.
Most of the teens were Latino or Hispanic, while about a fifth were white or African-American. "I think we can say confidently, 'This is a good picture of urban youth,'" Rice says. "[But] this might not necessarily translate to rural youth."
Sexting & Sexual Activity: Perspective
The study results echo some of those found by Jeff R. Temple, PhD. Earlier this year, his study found that more than 1 in 4 teens have sent nude photos of themselves through text or email.
He also found that those who had sent a naked photo were more likely to be sexually active.
"We found sexting to be an extension of offline lives," he says. "It's a representation of what they are doing in their actual lives."
The finding about gay, lesbian, and transgender teens warrants more study, he says.
Meanwhile, parents might use the research as a way to start conversations about sex with their teens, Temple says.
"Use this as an opportunity to talk to kids about safe sex and actual sexual behavior," he says.
It can be as simple, Temple says, as mentioning the research in the news, then asking a teen:
"What do you think about this study?"
"What would you do if someone sent you a naked picture?"
Kathleen Doheny
Kathleen Doheny is a Los Angeles-based journalist specializing in health, fitness, and behavior topics. In addition to writing for WebMD, she contributes regularly to other web sites and to national magazines. Credits include the Los Angeles Times, Shape, Natural Health, Westways, Weight Watchers Magazine, Prevention magazine, Consumers Digest, cancerandcareers.org, and webvet.com.
Previously, she wrote a travel health column ("The Healthy Traveler"), a personal health column ("Your Body") and an automotive safety and health column ("Good Carma"), all for the Los Angeles Times. For seven years she taught magazine and feature writing at UCLA Extension, Los Angeles.
Among her writing awards is the Public Education Award For Excellence in Plastic Surgery Journalism from the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons and the American Podiatric Medical Association Shapiro Journalism Award. She contributed to a series of WebMD autism articles that won the team the Society of Professional Journalists' 2008 Sigma Delta Chi Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Louise Chang, MD
Louise Chang, MD, is a senior member of the WebMD Medical Team. She is involved in WebMD’s social media space, award-winning medical news, video, and special projects, WebMD the Magazine, and ongoing content strategy and product development. She has always considered herself a patient advocate and educator at heart. She has had broad experience of inpatient and outpatient practice in urban and suburban settings. Dr. Chang shares the WebMD mission to provide the most accurate and useful medical information for people.
Dr. Chang completed her undergraduate degree at Stanford University and attended medical school at New York Medical College. She completed her internal medicine residency at Saint Vincent's Hospital in New York City, where she also served as a chief resident. Prior to joining WebMD, Dr. Chang served as an attending physician at Grady Memorial Hospital and faculty of the Emory University School of Medicine. She currently is adjunct assistant professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine.
She has served as an invited panelist for the White House Town Hall on Seniors’ Health. She has also been interviewed by nationally syndicated news programs and magazines. Dr. Chang is board certified in internal medicine. She is a member of the American College of Physicians, Society of General Internal Medicine, and the Society of Professional Journalists. Her prior research has been published and presented at regional and national conferences.
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