Middle-School Sexting Linked to Having Sex

Middle school students who send and receive sexually explicit messages (sexts) are also more likely to be having sex, a new study finds. The study included about 1,200 students in grades 6 through 8. Their ages ranged from 10 to 15. Most were 12 or 13. They filled out questionnaires about phone use and sex. About 3 out of 4 students had access to a phone that sent text messages. About 11% said they had ever had vaginal, oral or anal sex. Twenty percent said they had ever received a sext message or photo. About 5% said they had sent a sext. Students who had ever received a sext were 7 times as likely to report having sex as those who had not received a sext. Those who had sent a sext were 3 times as likely to report having sex as those who never sent one. Students who texted at least 100 times a day were nearly 5 times as likely to send a sext as those who texted less often.