Sexting or texting with sexual content leads to increased sexual behavior among teenagers. He knows the conclusions of a recent study, in the following article.
Effects of cell phone
Sending photos or videos with sexual content through cell phones would be part of “normal” sexual behavior in adolescents. The results, published in the journal Pediatrics, are from the first study on the relationship between adolescent sexting or sending sexually explicit images to another electronically, and the future of sexual activity.
The results of the study indicate that “sexting may precede sex in some cases and further strengthens the idea that sexting behavior is a credible sign of adolescent sexual activity.” In addition, researchers did not find a link between sexting and risky sexual behavior over time, which may suggest that sexting is becoming a part of growing up.
” We now know that adolescent sexting is fairly common,” said Jeff Temple, associate professor and psychologist at UTMB. ” For example, sexting may be associated with other typical teen behaviors such as substance use. Sexting is not associated with good or poor mental well-being.”
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The findings are part of an ongoing six-year investigation of an ethnically diverse group of adolescent students from Southeast Texas. The adolescents in the study periodically complete anonymous surveys that detail their history of sexting, sexual activity and other behaviors over the age of six.
Information from researchers
The researchers examined data from the second and third year of their study to determine whether the adolescent sexting predicted sexual activity a year later. They found that the odds of being sexually active as high school students were slightly higher for young people who sent a message or a bare image of themselves the previous year, compared to teens who did not.
“Sending a naked photo can communicate to the recipient a level of openness of sexual activity, promotion of the belief that sex is expected, and serve to increase sexual advances, all of which may increase the possibility of a sexual behavior. Sexting can serve as a gateway behavior to actual sexual behaviors or as a way of indicating a willingness to take intimacy to a higher level, “the researchers concluded.
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