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Sexting among teenagers is becoming increasingly common in the U.S., and a new national study suggests the risks tied to it are growing just as quickly.
Researchers analyzing data on more than 3,400 adolescents aged 13–17 found that nearly one-in-three teens has received a sexually suggestive image or video, while almost one in four has sent one.
Those figures mark a sharp increase from just a few years ago and point to what experts said is a worrying shift in how young people experience relationships and pressure online.
The study, conducted by researchers at Florida Atlantic University and the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, also highlighted a troubling rise in sextortion—when someone threatens to share explicit images unless the victim complies with demands for more images, money or sexual favors.
“Sexting has become normalized in some peer groups,” said paper author Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, in a statement.
Hinduja explained that increased screen time during and after the COVID-19 pandemic has played a role, as has the growing use of artificial intelligence tools that can create realistic sexual images. Those tools, he added, can be exploited for sextortion even when no original image exists.
Who teens sext with matters greatly. The study found that teens who sent explicit images to someone outside of a current romantic relationship faced far higher risks.
They were more than 13 times more likely to have their images shared without permission and nearly five times more likely to experience sextortion compared with teens who only sexted within a relationship.
Requests for sexts were even more common than sending them. About 30 percent of teens said they had been asked for a sext, suggesting that pressure—rather than choice—is a major part of the experience for many young people.
The data also revealed notable differences across age and identity. Boys were more likely than girls to both send and receive sexts, while non-heterosexual teens reported higher levels of involvement and were more likely to be asked for explicit images. White and multiracial teens had the highest overall rates.
Alarmingly, younger teens appeared especially vulnerable. More than 60 percent of 13-year-olds who sent a sext said it was later shared without their consent, compared with about 41 percent of 17-year-olds. Nearly half of teens who had sent a sext reported being targeted with sextortion afterward.
“Our findings make it clear that sexting is not rare among adolescents—it’s a common part of many young people’s digital lives,” Hinduja said. “What is deeply concerning, however, is how often these experiences are tied to coercion, nonconsensual sharing and sextortion.”
Rather than relying on simple “don’t sext” messages, the researchers argued that education should focus on consent, boundaries and digital safety. That includes helping teens recognize risky situations, protect their privacy and seek help when something goes wrong.
Hinduja said supporting teens online is just as important as guiding them offline.
He explained: “It’s not about fear or punishment—it’s about equipping them to navigate a complex digital world safely.”
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Reference
Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2026). When Sexting Goes Wrong: The Extent of Nonconsensual Sharing and Sextortion Among U.S. Teens. Journal of Adolescent Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.12.253
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