sexting

sexting, the sending or receiving of sexual words, pictures, or videos via technology, typically a mobile phone.

A portmanteau of the words sex and texting, sexting gained popularity as both a cultural phenomenon and a topical study of research interest in the early part of the 21st century. As mobile technologies such as cell phones, computers, and tablets became ubiquitous in the early 2000s, many individuals started to use these technologies to initiate and maintain social relationships. This was particularly true for teenagers and young adults, who tended to be more dependent than other groups on mobile phones for social activities such as texting (text messaging) and social networking. Some individuals also began using these technologies to navigate sexual relationships.

Definition and prevalence

Early scientific inquiries into sexting, carried out between 2008 and 2013, focused mainly on teenagers and young adults and the prevalence of sexting. Prevalence statistics varied widely, however, owing to inconsistencies in definitions and data sampling. For example, some researchers only examined the sending of nude or nearly nude images, whereas others asked participants how often they had received sexually suggestive words. Some researchers did not clearly define sexting at all. In practical terms, this meant that sexting could be defined as anything from sexy talk, such as suggesting sexual activity or making sexualized comments, to more explicit displays of sexuality, such as sending nude or nearly nude photos. Data collection methods also varied. For example, some researchers used anonymous online surveys, and others used telephone interviews on landlines. These differences led to very dissimilar prevalence rates of sexting, ranging from a low of about 2.5 percent for sending sexual photos (among 10- to 17-year-olds) to a high of about 80 percent for receiving sexual texts (among young adults).

As sexting became more popular as a target of scientific inquiry, researchers broadened their scope and began to recognize different types of sexting. This led to the identification of consistent trends. For example, sexting was found to be more common among young adults and older teenagers than among younger teenagers and older adults. Individuals of all ages tended to send sexually suggestive or explicit words more often than pictures, and sexting was found to be more common within the context of committed relationships than among those who were dating casually or those who were not in a romantic relationship. Although some researchers identified links between sexting prevalence and behaviours such as drug abuse and alcohol use or risky sexual behaviour (e.g., sex with multiple partners or sex without a condom), other researchers found that individuals who engaged in sexting were not more likely to engage in risky behaviour.

Similarly, while sexting has been associated with sexual activity (i.e., those who sext are more likely to be sexually active than those who do not sext), some studies suggest that the association is weak. In addition, whether sexting tends to precede sexual activity or vice versa is unclear. In terms of relationship health, sexting has been associated with both secure and insecure attachment styles, and although some research suggests that sexting might be beneficial to adult couples in romantic relationships, the evidence to support this has been inconsistent.

Sexting, victimization, and exploitation

Research worldwide has shown that sexting is linked to online (i.e., computer-based) and offline victimization, including dating violence and being coerced into sexting with strangers. These coercive sexting situations are traumatic to the individuals who experience them, and they can leave the victims open to other types of exploitation, such as nonconsensual pornography (the use of sexual content of adults without their consent) and sextortion (coercion in which sexual evidence, such as sexual images or videos, is used against the victim, often for monetary gain).

Persons who engage in nonconsensual pornography or sextortion can face legal penalties, which range in severity. Sexting among minors is also associated with legal penalties, though statutes to address sexting in this group vary widely. In some jurisdictions, minors who create, send, or receive pornographic images are subject to child pornography laws. Such laws are generally considered to be overly harsh for minors. As an example, in a case in 2015 in North Carolina, a 16-year-old female and a 17-year-old male who had been in a relationship and had exchanged nude images of one another via sexting were arrested and faced possible 4- to 10-year prison terms with lifelong sex-offender registration. Both teenagers served a probation sentence, and the charges against them were eventually dismissed.

Are you a student?

Get a special academic rate on Britannica Premium.

Subscribe

The North Carolina case and others like it accentuated the need for more uniform and culturally relevant sexting legislation in the United States and elsewhere. Moreover, high rates of sexting—particularly among teenagers and young adults—motivated parents, educators, and policy makers to attend to this practice, with a focus on supporting healthy sexual and social development.