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'Sexting' prevalence increases as adolescents age
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The prevalence of sexting among adolescents — sharing sexually explicit images, videos and messages using electronic devices — is a behavior that has increased since 1990 and increases as children age, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
“Over the last 10 years, smartphone ownership has grown to a point where it is near universal, and teens are connected to digital technology more than ever before,” Sheri Madigan, PhD, R.Psych, the Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development and assistant professor in the department of psychology at Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the University of Calgary, told Infectious Diseases in Children regarding the increased prevalence. “Teens are also spending more time on their devices and there is less of a divide between their online and offline lives.”
To observe the prevalence of sexting among adolescents and its forms of behavior, with specific analysis conducted by age, sex, geography and method, the researchers conducted a meta-analytic synthesis of studies collected from electronic databases, including MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE and Web of Science. All studies included were published between January 1990 and June 2016.
Madigan and colleagues analyzed studies if they included participants aged younger than 18 years. Additionally, studies examined must have included reports of sexting explicit images, videos or messages. Mean prevalence rates were calculated using random-effects meta-analyses.
Within the 39 studies examined in the analysis, 110,380 participants were included. Madigan and colleagues examined 34 studies on sending sexts, 20 on receiving the messages, five on forwarding sexts without consent and four on having a sext forwarded without consent. The average age of participants in these studies was 15.16 years (11.9-17.0), and 47.2% were male.
Of the participants included, 14.8% had sent a sext (95% CI, 12.8%-16.8%), and 27.4% had received these messages (95% CI, 23.1%-31.7%). With further analysis, the researchers observed that these behaviors increased in prevalence as children grew older, with prevalence increasing over time. Furthermore, the researchers observed that the prevalence of using mobile devices was higher than using computers for sexting.
Regarding the forwarding of sexts, 12.0% of teenagers had forwarded a message without consent (95% CI, 8.4%-15.6%), and 8.4% had a sext forwarded without consent (95% CI, 4.7-12.0%).
“Sexting is relatively common, with one in seven [teenagers] reporting that they send sexts and one in four reporting they receive sexts. With teens, sexting can occur within the context of healthy dating relationships or as a modern-day form of flirting,” Madigan said. “However, there are also risks and consequences related to sexting, including that one in 10 teens are likely to forward sexts without consent and that teens can feel pressured into sending a sext.”
“Pediatricians should equip themselves with knowledge on current digital technologies and apps so they are comfortable dealing directly with the issue,” she continued. “To initiate the conversation, ask tweens or teens if they have heard of sexting and what they think of it. This will allow pediatricians to get a sense of how much the tween or teen knows and where to take the conversation. Talk to the patient about peer pressure and discuss the potential consequences. Once information is sent, you cannot get it back or control its distribution.” – by Katherine Bortz
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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