Only small percentage of teens actually “sext”

A new survey from the Pew Research Center shows that teens are not “sexting” as much as the moral panic media would like you to think. (Shocking, I know!)
In fact, only 4% of teens report to have sent “sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images” in a text message. 15% reported having received “sexts.”
I agree with Tracy atBroadsheet, who notes that this study doesn’t take into account Facebook, email, chat rooms, etc – and I’m sure teens are getting their sexy on in all sorts of technologically-driven ways. While I am concerned about some pieces of this – say, having a nude picture being distributed by some asshole, or the permanence of pictures online – I just don’t have a problem with teens being sexual. Today’s “sext” is yesterday’s dirty note. We can teach teenagers to make safer decisions, but we can’t expect them not to be sexual.