Sexting

Open Access: No.

Abstract

The present study examined the role of sexting in adolescents’ peer environment and romantic relationships with attention to gender patterns. Thirty adolescent girls and boys (ages 16 or 17) of varying racial/ethnic background residing in Los Angeles or Phoenix participated in in-depth interviews about their experiences and attitudes toward sexting. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview data. In total, we identified 5 main themes and 15 subthemes. Participants reported that sexting is normal in their peer groups (Main theme #1 Everyone’s Doing It) and that sexting occurs within a cultural milieu of the sexual double standard (Main theme #2 Sexual Double Standard). They described sexting as a part of expressing romantic interest in someone and playing a role in defining and furthering romantic relationships (Main theme #3 Romantic Relationships). Participants also identified social (Main theme #4 Social Consequences) as well as psychological and long-term consequences of sexting (Main theme #5 Psychological or Long-Term Consequences). Findings of this study have implications for educational interventions.

Relevance

Most of the adolescent participants in this study “described that sexting is rather commonplace, if not normal among teenagers.”

Sexting is part of romantic relationships. More importantly, adolescents frame their sexting by the “Heterosexual Double Standard” which has four components: Feeling Wanted (girls sext to feel wanted by boys), Bragging Rights (boys sext to show the pictures to their friends to boast), Biology Rules (boys are more interested in sexting because of biological determinism), and Manipulation (boys coerce girls into sending sexts).

The adolescents described three specific social consequences of sexting: Biggest Fear (your photos getting leaked/exposed); Getting Shot Down (an unsolicited sext is unwelcome and rejected); and becoming a Laughingstock (public humiliation).

The adolescents also described psychological and long-term consequences of sexting: Mental Health Impacts (e.g., leaked photos lead to deep humiliation, shame, embarrassment, possibly resulting in “mental breakdown” and attempting suicide); School Impacts (getting in trouble, suspended, needing to transfer schools); Family Impacts (parents getting mad, police involvement, etc.).

Citation

Daniels, E. A., Dajches, L., Terán, L., Gahler, H., Choi, H. J., Speno, A., & Stevens Aubrey, J. (2026). The Sexual Landscape of Youth: How Adolescents From the U.S. Make Sense of Sexting. Journal of Adolescent Research, 41(3), 455-483.
https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584241231448