As if the travails and perils of modern puberty were not enough, seventh graders are now living with a rising incidence of 'sexting,' and are much more likely to also have engaged in some type of sexual behavior. 'Sexting' involves sending nude or seminude images or sexually explicit messages over an electronic device, such as a mobile phone.
In a study that covered over 400 seventh graders identified as having behavioral or emotional difficulties from five urban public middle schools in Rhode Island, it was found out that 71 percent of 12- to 13-year-olds had access to a cellphone, 68 percent had their own cellphone and 23 percent had a smartphone.
Seventeen percent of the teens said they had sent sexual text messages in the past six months, while 5 percent said they had sent sexual photos by cellphone in the previous six months. Nine percent of the teens said they had sent sexual messages via the Internet, and 2 percent said they had sent sexual photos over the Web.
Furthermore, the study found that teens who 'sexted' were twice as likely to touch genitals over clothing, 2.7 times more likely to have oral sex and 2.2 times more likely to have vaginal sex than their 'non-sexting' peers.
The study, which has been published in the journal Pediatrics, also indicated that teens who 'sexted' also were more likely to report intentions to engage in sexual activity and they were more likely to feel that their peers, family and the media approved of this behavior.
"We know early adolescents are using mobile phones and all forms of technology more and more and we know that early adolescence is a time when people become engaged in sexual activity. So how those two connect is an important area of study," Christopher Houck, the study's lead author and a staff psychologist at Rhode Island Hospital's Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center in Providence, told Reuters.
"The prevalence of 'sexting' behavior among this high-risk group was one in five, including both messages and photos. The significant prevalence of this behavior identifies a new opportunity for prevention and intervention. How to discuss sexting with young people without increasing the likelihood of the behavior is a new question... Effective interventions need to be developed that can educate youth about the risks of sexting behavior," Dr. Victor Fornari, Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at North Shore-LIJ Health System in New Hyde Park, N.Y., said.
