Teen Sexting Not as Common as Once Thought [REPORT]

As earlier reports indicated last month, teen sexting may not be as prevalent as once believed. Data from two new studies suggests that the behavior may be on the decline.

Research from the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center suggests that although teen sexting does occur, it's not as common as one would think. In fact, only about 1% of today's youth have shared or taken images with explicit nudity.

In the first study called "Prevalence and Characteristics of Youth Sexting: A National Study" – conducted among 1,560 Internet users aged 10 through 17 about their experiences with sexting, from appearing in and creating to receiving sexual images or videos – found that 2.5% of the demographic have participated in sexting in the past year. However, only about 1% of the images violate child pornography laws, such as those that include "naked breasts, genitals or bottoms."

Although previous reports indicated that one in five of today's youth have at one time participated in sexting, the findings included those in their late teens and early 20s. According to the latest research, about 61% of a younger demographic involved with creating and sending nude or semi-nude were girls in the 10 to 17 age range, and 72% of them were aged 16 or 17.

"Lots of people may be hearing about these cases discovered by schools and parents because they create a furor, but it still involves a very small minority of youth," said lead author Kimberly Mitchell, research assistant professor of psychology at the UNH Crimes Against Children Research Center.

In the University of New Hampshire's second study called "How Often Are Teens Arrested for Sexting? Data From a National Sample of Police Cases," the researchers discovered that in most sexting cases investigated by the police, no juvenile arrest occurred — only 18% included an arrest. However, the report cited that arrests occur in 36% of the cases that include aggravating activities by youth, such as using the images to blackmail or harass others.

The second study was based on a national sample of 675 sexting cases collected from a survey of law enforcement agencies.

"In both studies, researchers found that sexual images of youth were not as widely distributed online as many parents, youth and law enforcement fear," the researchers noted. "In the teen survey, 90% of youth said the images they created did not go beyond the intended recipient. Even in the cases where the images came to the attention of the police, two-thirds of the images stayed on cell phones and never circulated online."

The findings were published on Monday in the medical journal Pediatrics.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Neustockimages