Sexting: Understanding How Middle School Students' Technology-Use Impacts Sexual Behavior

Introduction: Recent sexual behavior studies have found a significant connection between the sexting (sending/receiving sexually explicit cellular texts or images) behaviors and the sexual risk-taking behaviors of adolescents. Teens who sext are more likely to be sexually active and more likely to be engaged in risky sexual behavior. Technology-use characteristics, such as daily texting and internet usage, may contribute to a teen’s likelihood of sexting. No study to date has investigated this or the connection of sexting and sexual behaviors amongst a middle school population.

Methods: A probability sample of 1186 middle school students was collected concurrently with the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey in Los Angeles County schools. Logistic regressions were used to assess the impact of demographics, device use, and home rules regarding internet-use on sexting behaviors and sexual behaviors. Sexting groups were identified: only receiving sexts, and those receiving and sending sexts. The relative impact of sexting groups on sexual activity and condom use was then analyzed.

Results: The sample on average was 12 years old, was 50% male, and represented various racial ethnic groups: 11% Black, 7% Asian, 71% Latino, 15% White, and 6% other race. The majority of respondents identified as heterosexual (95%). Most participants had a phone that allowed texting (73%). Of those respondents, 19% reported having received a sext, 5% sent a sext, and 12% had been sexually involved. Of those who had been sexually involved, a third reported unprotected sexual involvement at last sexual encounter. Logistic regressions indicate that an older age, being male, identifying as Black, sending more than 100 texts a day, and spending 3 or more hours a day on the internet all increase the odds of receiving sexts. Further, the odds of being sexually active are higher if an adolescent is male, sends more than 100 texts a day, and has received sexts. Rules regarding internet-use at home were not predictive of sexting or sexual activity. Sexting groups controlled, those who reported both sending and receiving sexts had 25 times the odds of being sexually active compared to those who do not sext.

Conclusions: This study is in agreement with the findings of high school sample studies, that sexting behaviors increase the odds of being sexually active.  Further, the sexual activity of middle school students may be considerably more risky due to limited sexual health education. Rules at home regarding internet-use had no impact on sexting and sexual behaviors, indicating that additional research should study rules or parental prevention strategies at reducing these risky behaviors.