Young people aged between 16 and 29 are one of the most at-risk groups. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people living with a disability and people who identify as LGBTIQA+, are also particularly vulnerable.
Not all teens share nudes. However, those that do are most likely vulnerable, according to the 2020 Cybersurvey. More than 1 in 5 of those with an eating disorder and more than 1 in 4 of those in care are sharing these images.
Klettke et al. (2014) found the prevalence of people sending sexts to be: 10% of adolescents aged 10–19 years; and.
At least 1 in 4 teens are receiving sexually explicit texts and emails. At least 1 in 7 are sending sexts. More than 1 in 10 teens are forwarding sexts without consent. About 1 in 12 teens have had sexts they've sent forwarded without their consent.
Unfortunately the reality is more complicated and young people often only become aware of this after the event. In Australia we know that 1 in 3 young people aged 14 – 17 years have had some experience with sexting. Teens were also three times more likely to be asked for a nude than to actually send one.
Surprisingly, there were “no significant sex differences” in the sending and receiving of sexts: girls and boys in the study engaged in sexting at about the same rate.
Under the Australian law it is illegal to use your phone or internet to take, keep, look at, send, or ask someone to send sexual images or videos of anyone who is under 18 years of age (or anyone who looks under the age of 18).
Sexting can negatively affect your mental health, relationships and future. It can even have legal consequences. Before sending an explicit photo, remember that once an image is out there, you can't get it back.
Participants were asked if they had ever engaged in such behaviors. The researchers found that 88 percent of participants reported ever having sexted and 82 percent reported they had sexted in the past year.
Sexting ignites dopamine, the “happy hormone,” and oxytocin, the “cuddle hormone” in the human brain — essentially inducing feelings we love, and perhaps, even crave. The body can feel all these emotions without a change in geography or setting.
Key points. About half of participants reported having sent an explicit text and two-thirds of participants reported having received one. A boost to one's self esteem, sexual gratification, and improved intimacy and trust with a romantic partner were commonly reported benefits.
The act of sexting can be consensual and is not itself a sign of abuse. However, an abuser could use photographs, videos, or messages shared through sexting to maintain power and control over you. For example, the abuser may later threaten to share these images or may actually share them with others.
About 15 percent of people, slightly more than one in seven, reported sending a sext. The study consisted of an analysis of 39 previous studies with 110,000 participants, split between girls and boys between the ages of 11 and 18. The average age was 15.
The researchers found that 88 percent of participants reported ever having sexted and 82 percent reported they had sexted in the past year. Nearly 75 percent said they sexted in the context of a committed relationship and 43 percent said they sexted as part of a casual relationship.
The consequences of sexting and the impact the trend has are social-based consequences, being bullied or being left out of their peer group, as well as the legal concerns that come with issues such as revenge porn, teen sexting, and illegal images and photos.
Let's talk about sext. Sexting is extremely common among adults - but maybe not for the reasons you think. New research from the Sexuality, Sexual Health & Sexual Behavior Lab in the Texas Tech University Department of Psychological Sciences shows that two-thirds of people who sext do so for non-sexual reasons.