19% of Teens Are Sexters

New study shows popularity of sexting

By KRISTIN NEHLS
Updated 2:58 PM EDT, Thu, Jun 25, 2009

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Is it just us, or are kids these days getting sextier and sextier?

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Cox Communications made public a study showing that one-in-five teens have “sexted.”  

For those less digitally informed, "sexting (a portmanteau of sex and texting) is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between cell phones," according to Wikipedia

An April survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, asked 655 teens, ages 13 to 18, about their computer and cell phone use.

Nineteen percent of the teens admitted to sexting. The vast majority of those teens – 81 percent – were under 18.

While most of the teens who "sext" do it primarily with their boyfriend or girlfriend, 11 percent of sexters said they’ve engaged in risqué electronic relations with complete strangers.

Fifty-four percent of teens who meet via sexting go on to have real, loving and life-altering relationships... Not!   Meeting up with strangers from the Internet?  What a concept.  What? Do you think these sexting kids are stupid?

First Published: Jun 24, 2009 10:11 AM EDT on NBC Chicago

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