Teens who send sexually oriented texts, or sexts, may experience a greater likelihood of engaging in sexual activity, according to research conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, surveyed data on an ethnically diverse group of adolescent students from Southeast Texas over a six-year period.
High school juniors who sent a sext were slightly more likely to be sexually active than their non-sexting peers. The team added that sexting was not associated with risky sexual behaviors.
"We now know that teen sexting is fairly common," said Jeff Temple, co-author of the study. "For instance, sexting may be associated with other typical adolescent behaviors such as substance use. Sexting is not associated with either good or poor mental well being."
"If a teen is found to have sent a sext, that behavior could be a way to talk to them and promote healthy sexual behaviors," said Temple.
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