About 15 percent of American teenagers have received nude or sexually suggestive photos on their cell phones, and that percentage doubles as teens get older, according to a study recently released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, based on interviews conducted with 800 teenagers and their parents or guardians.

A few additional survey findings:

• Boys are as likely as girls to send sexts
• 4 % of 12- to 17-year-olds admit to sexting photos or videos of themselves
• 8 %of 17-year-olds sent sexts and 30% received them
• Teens that pay for their own phone service and those with unlimited texting plans were more likely to sext.

Reasons for sexting

Teens who were asked why they sexted gave the following reasons:

• They were in a romantic relationship
• They hoped to interest a prospective partner
• They thought the photos could be used in lieu of having sex

According to Internet safety advocate Parry Aftab the survey numbers are low because teens were hesitant to admit to sexting with their parents present.

Source: 15% of teens 'sexting' on cells, study says, SFGate, December 16, 2009

Tags: Sexting, statistics