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

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

 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

 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

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.

Sex Tech Study  Sent a nude or semi-nude picture/video (of yourself) to someone (via , 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%

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

 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.

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

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?

Procedure  High school students N = % participation rate One quarter from each grade  Recently graduated high school students N = % participation rate 60% graduated within the past two years

% of Students Receiving a Sexually Explicit Cell Phone Picture

% of Students Sending a Sexually Explicit Cell Phone Picture of Self

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

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

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

College Students’ High School Reports

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???