A surge in teen “sexting” frequently exposes them to serious risks, including sextortion, coercion and privacy violations.
This is according to a study – “When Sexting Goes Wrong: The Extent of Nonconsensual Sharing and Sextortion Among U.S. Teens” by Justin W. Patchin, Ph.D. and Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D. – that was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Sexting involves sending or receiving sexually suggestive images or video, while sextortion is the threat to share explicit or intimate images without consent to pressure someone into providing more images, sexual favors, money or other demands. Sextortion is especially harmful for teens, who are still developing impulse control, risk assessment and emotional regulation.
Using a national sample of 3,466 adolescents aged 13 to 17 years in the US, the researchers explored the prevalence of sexting behaviors, related negative outcomes, and differences across age, race, gender and sexual orientation.
Results of the study showed that nearly 1 in 3 youth (32.4%) reported having received a sext, and almost 1 in 4 (23.9%) said they had sent one. These numbers represent a marked increase from what the researchers found in their 2019 study using the same methodology, where 23% had received and 14% had sent a sext.
“Sexting has become normalized in some peer groups, a trend amplified by increased reliance on digital communication during and after COVID-19,” said Hinduja, co-author. “The rise of AI tools also makes it easier to create realistic sexual content without actual sexting, which can be used in sextortion schemes.”
Whom youth sexted mattered immensely. Compared to those who only sexted with a current boyfriend or girlfriend, youth who sent sexts to someone outside a current relationship were:
- more than 13 times as likely to have their image shared without consent, and
- nearly five times as likely to experience sextortion, even after accounting for gender, sexual orientation, race and age.
Boys were significantly more likely than girls to both send and receive sexts, and non-heterosexual youth reported higher participation than heterosexual youth. White and multiracial youth had the highest rates overall. While older teens were generally more likely to sext, the pattern was not linear: 15 and even 13 year olds reported high levels of involvement.
Requests for sexts were even more common than sending. About 30% of youth said they had been asked for a sext, while nearly 20% reported asking someone else. Boys were more likely than girls to both ask for and be asked for sexts. Non-heterosexual youth were especially likely to be asked, suggesting heightened exposure to pressure.
Among youth who had sent a sext, nearly half (46.8%) said their image was later shared with others without their permission. One-third of youth who had received a sext admitted sharing it without consent. Boys, heterosexual youth, and white youth were more likely to report both victimization and participation in nonconsensual sharing.
Younger adolescents were at the greatest risk – more than 60% of 13 year olds who sent a sext said it was shared without their permission, compared with about 41% of 17 year olds.
Sextortion emerged as a strikingly common experience. Nearly half (49.6%) of youth who had sent a sext reported later being targeted with sextortion, and almost one-third of those who had received a sext admitted threatening someone else to get what they wanted. Boys and heterosexual youth were significantly more likely to both experience sextortion and engage in it. White and multiracial youth were the most likely to be targeted, while white youth were most likely to perpetrate sextortion.
“Our findings make it clear that sexting is not rare among adolescents – it’s a common part of many young people’s digital lives,” said Hinduja. “What is deeply concerning, however, is how often these experiences are tied to coercion, nonconsensual sharing and sextortion. Our study underscores the urgent need to move beyond simple ‘don’t sext’ messages and instead provide youth with meaningful education around consent, boundaries and digital safety, while equipping parents, educators and policymakers with the tools to better prevent harm and respond when it occurs.”
For Hinduja, educational efforts should emphasize that most students do not engage in sexting but also appropriately prepare adolescents to recognize and respond to the growing prevalence of distressing sexual behaviors they may experience.
“Supporting teens in developing digital literacy and healthy online habits is just as important as guiding their in-person behavior,” said Hinduja. “By teaching youth how to recognize risky situations, protect their privacy, and make informed choices online, we can reduce harm while respecting their autonomy. It’s not about fear or punishment – it’s about equipping them to navigate a complex digital world safely.”
