Sexting Among High School Students

1. Sexting Among High School Students Donald S. Strassberg, Ph.D., ABPP Michael Sustaita, B.A. Ryan K. McKinnon, B.A. Jordan Rullo, Ph.D. Department of Psychology University of Utah donald.strassberg@psych.utah.edu

2. Electronic Communication Texting E-mail Chat rooms Instant messaging (IM) Websites Social networking sites (e.g., MySpace, Facebook, Twitter) Cell phone video/picture transfer

3. What is sexting? • Multiple meanings • Can involve words and/or pictures • In these studies, we examined only the sending and receiving of sexually explicit pictures via cell phone

4. Why study sexting? • The mobile phone provides a private and instantaneous venue for adolescents to communicate freely; one they use millions of times every day • Digital pictures can last forever • Once out of your control they can be sent/viewed by anyone • Things that seem like a good idea now… • A number of recent cases in the media underline the potential consequences of engaging in sexting • Indiana Teenage Boy • Virginia Vice Principal • Ohio Teenage Girl • Sexting can be a form of cyber-bullying

6. Previous Surveys • Survey by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and Cosmo-Girl.com (2008) found that roughly 20% of teens surveyed reported that they had ‘‘participated in sexting’’ • A poll conducted by the Associated Press-MTV(2009) found that 3 of 10 people, ages 14–24, reported having sent or received nude photos on their phones or online. • In an internet safety survey by Cox Communications (Thomas, 2009), almost 20%of teens reported having ‘‘participated in sexting,’’ • A poll by the Pew Internet and American Life Project of Washington (Lenhart,2009) found that about 15% ofAmerican teenagers had received ‘‘nude or sexually suggestive ’’photos on their cell phones.

7. Sex Tech Studywww.thenationalcampaign.org/sextech Sent a nude or semi-nude picture/video (of yourself) to someone (via email, cell phone, etc.) 26% Received a nude or semi-nude picture/video from someone (of himself/herself) 39% Shared a nude or semi-nude picture/video with someone other than the one(s) it was originally meant for 15%

8. Recent Peer-Reviewed Studies • Benotsch, et al. (2012), Journal of Adolescent Health • Rice et al. (2012), Pediatrics • Temple et al. (2012), Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine • Drake et al. (2012), American Journal of Sexuality Education

9. The purpose of our study • Determine the prevalence of sexting activity among adolescents. • Examine adolescents’ knowledge of, and attitudes towards, the legal and other potential consequences of sexting. • Examine possible correlates of sexting behavior including gender, year in school, texting behavior, information, and attitudes about sexting.

10. Present Study • Focused specifically on the transfer of sexually explicit videos and pictures via cell phones • Begin to estimate the prevalence of this phenomenon in: • Recently graduated high school students • High School students

11. Questionnaire Ever sent a picture of your genitals (or breasts, if you are female) to someone else’s cell phone? Ever sent a picture you took of someone else’s genitals (or breasts, if they were female) to a third person’s cell phone? Ever received a picture of someone else’s genitals (or breasts, if they were female) on your cell phone? Ever forwarded a picture you received of someone else’s genitals (or breasts, if they were female) to a third person’s cell phone?

12. Procedure • High school students • N = 609 • 96% participation rate • One quarter from each grade • Recently graduated high school students • N = 760 • 96% participation rate • 60% graduated within the past two years

13. Results % of Students Receiving a Sexually Explicit Cell Phone Picture

14. Results % of Students Sending a Sexually Explicit Cell Phone Picture of Self

15. Results % of Students Having Sent a Sexually Explicit Mobile Phone Picture of Someone Else

16. Results % of Students Receiving a Sexually Explicit Cell Phone Picture Who Then Forwarded It

17. Other findings: Attitudes About Sexting • Who believed it was always wrong to send or forward such a picture? • 50.4% of females 33.9% of males • Who believed it’s OK to send such pictures of yourself? • 26.1% of females 31% of males • Those who had sent a sext of themselves also sent (134 vs. 78) and received (124 vs. 70) significantly more text messages

18. College Students’ High School Reports

19. Discussion • Significant numbers of high school males and females are sending, receiving, & forwarding sexually explicit pictures of themselves and others • Many are unaware of the potentially very serious consequences of sexting • Legal consequences • Personal/Social consequences • Self-concept, relationships, school sanctions • Some who are aware of such consequences engage in sexting anyway • What to do???