Sexting Facts & Statistics – How Common is it? Adult and Teenage Sexting Numbers

By Bedbible Research Center / January 31, 2023

We’ve collected and aggregated longitudinal survey data on self-reported sexting behaviors of 110,380 teenagers and 54,677 adults. Collectively this makes it the largest longitudinal dataset on sexting ever created with a world of insights hidden within. In this article we share some of our findings from analyzing the extensive dataset.

Please be advised that we share the dataset with any ethical entities. If you want to gain access please contact us at researchcenter@bedbible.com and tell us in brief terms of your intended purpose.

Key statistics on Sexting

  • Sexting is a fast-growing trend and getting increasingly more popular.
  • 9 out of 10 adults have sent or received a sexual message, an image, or a video.
  • 1 in 5 teenagers has taken part in sexting – sending, receiving sexually nude or nearly nude photos through text or email.
  • 1 in 7 teenagers has exchanged sexts (with images or videos) with a partner.
  • Over 50% of adults reluctantly engaged in sexting.
  • 18% of people report that they have shared a sexting message with others without consent, of which 55% share it with more than one other person.
  • 24% of teenagers aged 14-18 have sent sexts with images
  • 39% of parents report to feel worried their child may engage in sexting

Sexting over time (2000-2023)

After aggregating and collecting data on different aspects of dating the first thing we did was look into the historical development of sexting in the survey responses.

We looked at the prevalence of respondents reporting they have sent a sexting message and if they report to have received a sexting message. We also looked at how many have shared a sexting message with a third party without consent to do so. We split the data on teenagers, aged 11-18; and adults, aged 19+.

Sexting prevalence amongst adults over time

The data shows that in 2023 the following is reported of adults about their sexting behavior:

  • 87.9% of adults report that they have received a sexting message.
  • 76.9% of adults report that they have sent a sexting message.
  • 18.2% of adults report that they have shared a sexting message without consent.
Sexting prevalence among adults

With the raw data being available in the below table:

Among Adults (+19)Sent sextReceived sextShared sext
20002.7%10.3%5.6%
20014.5%13.7%6.9%
20025.4%15%6.6%
20036.1%17%6.1%
20047%18.7%6.4%
20057.1%18.2%6.2%
20069.4%23.9%8.1%
200711%28.9%9.8%
20088.5%23.5%8%
20098.4%28.1%9.5%
201014.6%48.8%16.6%
201116%49.4%16.8%
201222.1%63.4%16.8%
201321.2%57.8%25.8%
201414.3%33.8%15.4%
201524.7%52.4%24.3%
201639.4%81%23.5%
201745.6%87.4%26.1%
201849.8%91.6%20%
201944.9%78%15.5%
202057.1%79.1%18.7%
202163%79.6%18.8%
202268.3%82.1%19%
202376.9%87.9%18.2%

Sexting prevalence amongst teenagers over time

From the newest recorded data in 2023 teens report the following when asked about their sexting behavior:

  • 38.2% of teens report that they have received a sexting message.
  • 26.5% of teens report that they have sent a sexting message.
  • 13.0% of teens report that they have shared a sexting message without consent.
Sexting prevalence amongst teenagers over time

Again, the raw data for teenage sexting prevalence is accessible in the below table:

Among teens (11-18)Sent sextReceived sextShared sext
20001.9%9.4%5.1%
20013.2%9.8%3.8%
20023.6%10.0%4.4%
20033.8%10.6%3.8%
20044.1%11.0%3.7%
20054.7%12.1%4.1%
20065.2%13.3%4.5%
20075.8%15.2%5.2%
20086.5%18.1%6.2%
20097%23.4%8%
20107.7%25.7%8.7%
20118.4%26.0%8.8%
20129.2%26.4%12%
201310.1%27.5%12.3%
201411.9%28.2%12.8%
201513.7%29.1%13.5%
201614.6%30.0%13.8%
201716.3%31.2%14.5%
201817.8%32.7%11.1%
201918.7%32.5%11.1%
202020.4%34.4%11.7%
202122.5%34.6%11.8%
202224.4%37.3%12.7%
202326.5%38.2%13.0%

Comparing teenagers and adults, 2000-2023

% have sent sextTeensAdults
20001.9%2.7%
20013.2%4.5%
20023.6%5.4%
20033.8%6.1%
20044.1%7%
20054.7%7.1%
20065.2%9.4%
20075.8%11%
20086.5%8.5%
20097%8.4%
20107.7%14.6%
20118.4%16.0%
20129.2%22.1%
201310.1%21.2%
201411.9%14.3%
201513.7%24.7%
201614.6%39.4%
201716.3%45.6%
201817.8%49.8%
201918.7%44.9%
202020.4%57.1%
202122.5%63.0%
202224.4%68.3%
202326.5%76.9%
% have received sextTeensAdults
20009.4%10.3%
20019.8%13.7%
200210%15%
200310.6%17%
200411%18.7%
200512.1%18.2%
200613.3%23.9%
200715.2%28.9%
200818.1%23.5%
200923.4%28.1%
201025.7%48.8%
201126%49.4%
201226.4%63.4%
201327.5%57.8%
201428.2%33.8%
201529.1%52.4%
201630%81%
201731.2%87.4%
201832.7%91.6%
201932.5%78%
202034.4%79.1%
202134.6%79.6%
202237.3%82.1%
202338.2%87.9%
% have shared sextTeensAdults
20005.1%5.6%
20013.8%6.9%
20024.4%6.6%
20033.8%6.1%
20043.7%6.4%
20054.1%6.2%
20064.5%8.1%
20075.2%9.8%
20086.2%8.0%
20098.0%9.5%
20108.7%16.6%
20118.8%16.8%
201212.0%16.8%
201312.3%25.8%
201412.8%15.4%
201513.5%24.3%
201613.8%23.5%
201714.5%26.1%
201811.1%20.0%
201911.1%15.5%
202011.7%18.7%
202111.8%18.8%
202212.7%19.0%
202313.0%18.2%

Teens and sexting

  • 1 out of 7 teens aged 12-17 report to have exchanged sexting images or videos with others (14.2%) . While 24% of teenagers aged 14-18 have sent a sext containing a video or an image.
  • 1 in 5 teens have taken part in some form of sexting; sending, receiving, or sharing sexts (all with images or videos).
  • 40% of teens report to have engaged in sexting (sexually explicit messages, images, or videos).
  • 70% of teenagers who report to have sent an image or a video based sext to a partner felt coerced or pressured into doing so.
  • Teenage girls are 20% more likely to send a semi-nude or nude photo in a sext (22%) comared to teenage boys (18%).
  • 39% of parents of teenagers report to feel worried their child might engage in sexting.

Age and Gender differences in sexting

Looking at some demographical differences of the most recent data (2020-2023) there are some interesting findings in tabulating the dataset.

In general the data shows that:

  • Women report to sext proportionally more than men
  • 70% of women believe that sexting is considered cheating
% Sent sextAllMaleFemale
Teenager, 11-1826.5%21.2%31.8%
Adult, 19-4073.1%65.7%80.4%
Adult, 41-6076.9%65.4%88.4%
Adult, 61+52.3%42.9%61.7%
All adults67.4%58.0%76.8%
% Received sextAllMaleFemale
Teenager, 11-1838.2%30.6%45.8%
Adult, 19-4083.5%75.2%91.9%
Adult, 41-6087.9%86.1%89.7%
Adult, 61+61.5%50.5%72.6%
All adults77.6%70.6%84.7%
% Shared sextAllMaleFemale
Teenager, 11-1813.0%18.2%7.8%
Adult, 19-4014.3%25.7%2.9%
Adult, 41-6018.2%28.8%7.6%
Adult, 61+5.4%7.1%3.7%
All adults12.6%20.5%4.7%

Reasons for sexting

As a part of investigating sexting behaviors respondents were asked to list the reasons they believed they engaged in sexting. Some the the findings from looking into this part of the data is listed below:

  • 66% of teenage girls report that they engage in sexting to be flirtatious and fun
  • 66% of teenage boys report that they engage in sexting to be flirtatious and fun
  • 51% of teenage girls report that pressure from a man was the reason for them engaging in sexting.
  • 61% of all respondents report that they have engaged in sexting at least once because they felt pressured to do so.
  • 12% have sent nude pictures because they felt pressured into it.

While the trend of sharing sexting messages, pictures and videos with others without consent is on the decline in recent years (visible from the graphs of sexting behaviors over time) there are some alarming numbers associated with this:

  • 17-18% of people who have engaged in sexting have later (without consent) shared the contents of those interactions with others. This means that almost 1 in 5 recipients of sext later shares it.
  • 55% of those that share the contents of a sexting message, share it with multiple people.

Other studies

There are quite a few different surveys and studies available on sexting. All show slightly diverging results.

To provide an overview, here is a table with the summative statistics of those studies.

Summary statistics for Teenage sexting%
Received sext27.4%
Send sext14.8%
Shared sext12.0%
Had sext shared8.4%

And, below the total overview of the studies on sexting among teenagers.

SourceParticipants, NMean age% maleType of sextingSexting contentsGeographic area
Baumgartner et al (2014)14,94613.4949.7SP,V,MEurope multinational
Campbell and Park (2014)55214.8852.4S,RP,VUnited States
Cox Communications (2009)65515.550S,R,SH-VPUnited States
Dake et al (2012)1,28914.5851.7SP,V,MUnited States
Dowdell et al (2011)2,07716.0344.6RPUnited States
Fleschler Peskin et al (2013)103416.3437.4S,R,SH-PP,V,MUnited States
Harris et al (2013)12316.644.7S,R,SH-PP,V,MUnited States
Houck et al (2014)41012.3453.4SP,MUnited States
Kerstens and Stol (2014)4,45313.951.2S,RP,Vthe Netherlands
Kopecký (2015)1,2371444.9SP,VCzech Republic
Kopecký (2014)21,3721444.6S,SH-VP,V,MCzech Republic
Lee et al (2016)1,6121635.7SP,VRepublic of Korea
Lee et al (2015)68315.547S,RP,VAustralia 
Lenhart (2009)80015.0753.6S,RP,VUnited States
Lippman and Campbell (2014)5114.5551S,RP,VUnited States
Livingstone and Gorzig (2014)15,61913.550RP,MEurope multinational
Marcum et al (2014)1,61715.7749.9SPUnited States
Mishna et al (2010)2,18614.545.3S-VP,MCanada 
Mitchell et al (2012)1,56014.249.7RP,VUnited States
Murray (2014)46715.9648.4S,R,SH-PP,VUnited States
O’Sullivan (2014)2691734S,RPUnited States
Patrick et al (2015)2,1141638.4S,RP,VAustralia 
Rice et al (2012)1,71415.2351.9SP,MUnited States
Rice et al (2014)84111.8651.5S,RP,MUnited States
Ricketts et al (2015)1,61715.7749SPUnited States
Schloms-Madlener (2013)1891450.6SPSouth Africa
Ševčíková (2016)17,0161649SP,V,MEurope multinational
NCPTUP (2008)16314.549SP,VUnited States
Strassberg et al (2013)60615.954.3S,RPUnited States
Temple et al (2012)94815.844.1SPUnited States
Van Ouytsel et al (2014)1,02816.6842SPBelgium 
Van Ouytsel et al (2014)32916.7139.8S,RP,VBelgium 
Vanden Abeele et al (2014)1,94315.2850.6SP,VBelgium 
Velarde (2014)635Not available53.4S,R,SH-PPUnited States
Walrave et al (2014)49816.546SP,MBelgium 
Walrave et al (2015)21716.7238.2SP,V,MBelgium 
Wolfe et al (2016)62514.7951.5RP,VUnited States
Wood et al (2015)3,17015.2750S,R,SH-VP,MEurope multinational
Ybarra and Mitchell (2014)3,71515.543.3SPUnited States
Total110,38015.1647.23S=34, R=20, SH-V=5, SH-P=4P=39, V=21, M=14
  1. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (2009) found that approximately 15% of teens have electronically sent, or posted online, nude or semi-nude images of themselves.
  2. The Drexel University Study (2012) found that nearly 20% of adults have sexted and that younger adults are more likely to engage in sexting behavior.
  3. The Pew Research Center Study (2012) found that 4% of cell phone owners have sent sexually explicit images of themselves to someone else and that 15% of cell phone owners have received sexually explicit images.
  4. The University of Utah Study (2017) found that sexting is a common behavior among young adults and that sexting is associated with higher levels of sexual behavior and risky sexual behavior.
  5. Other studies have found that sexting can lead to regret and can have legal, social, and psychological consequences.
  6. Some studies have also found that sexting can be used as a form of cyberbullying, especially when the images are shared without consent.

Some studies have even looked more into the effects and consequences of sexting amongst both adults and teens:

  1. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (2015) found that sexting is associated with a higher likelihood of sexual behaviors among adolescents.
  2. The University of New Hampshire (2015) found that sexting is prevalent among college students and is associated with higher rates of sexual behavior.
  3. The Crimes Against Children Research Center (2010) found that a significant number of youth have been involved in both sending and receiving sexually explicit images.
  4. The University of Michigan (2015) found that sexting is a common behavior among young adults and that it is associated with higher levels of sexual satisfaction.
  5. The Yale University School of Medicine (2015) found that sexting is a common behavior among young adults and is associated with risky sexual behavior.

These studies show that sexting is a prevalent behavior among young adults and is associated with a range of sexual behaviors and outcomes. It is important for individuals to understand the potential consequences of sexting and to make informed decisions about their involvement in this behavior.

References

  • Barrense-Dias, Y., Berchtold, A., Surís, J. C., & Akre, C. (2017). Sexting and the definition issue. Journal of adolescent health, 61(5), 544-554.
  • Klettke, B., Hallford, D. J., & Mellor, D. J. (2014). Sexting prevalence and correlates: A systematic literature review. Clinical psychology review, 34(1), 44-53.
  • Gordon-Messer, D., Bauermeister, J. A., Grodzinski, A., & Zimmerman, M. (2013). Sexting among young adults. Journal of adolescent health, 52(3), 301-306.
  • Lenhart, A. (2009). Teens and sexting (Vol. 5). Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project.
  • Strasburger, V. C., Zimmerman, H., Temple, J. R., & Madigan, S. (2019). Teenagers, sexting, and the law. Pediatrics, 143(5).
  • Strassberg, D. S., McKinnon, R. K., Sustaíta, M. A., & Rullo, J. (2013). Sexting by high school students: An exploratory and descriptive study. Archives of sexual behavior, 42, 15-21.
  • Wolak, J., & Finkelhor, D. (2011). Sexting: A typology.
  • Mitchell, K. J., Finkelhor, D., Jones, L. M., & Wolak, J. (2012). Prevalence and characteristics of youth sexting: A national study. Pediatrics, 129(1), 13-20.
  • Dake, J. A., Price, J. H., Maziarz, L., & Ward, B. (2012). Prevalence and correlates of sexting behavior in adolescents. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 7(1), 1-15.
  • Symons, K., Ponnet, K., Walrave, M., & Heirman, W. (2018). Sexting scripts in adolescent relationships: Is sexting becoming the norm?. New Media & Society, 20(10), 3836-3857.
  • Temple, J. R., Paul, J. A., Van Den Berg, P., Le, V. D., McElhany, A., & Temple, B. W. (2012). Teen sexting and its association with sexual behaviors. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 166(9), 828-833.
  • Ahern, N. R., & Mechling, B. (2013). Sexting: Serious problems for youth. Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health services, 51(7), 22-30.
  • Delevi, R., & Weisskirch, R. S. (2013). Personality factors as predictors of sexting. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(6), 2589-2594.
  • Weisskirch, R. S., & Delevi, R. (2011). “Sexting” and adult romantic attachment. Computers in human behavior, 27(5), 1697-1701.
  • Van Ouytsel, J., Van Gool, E., Walrave, M., Ponnet, K., & Peeters, E. (2017). Sexting: Adolescents’ perceptions of the applications used for, motives for, and consequences of sexting. Journal of Youth Studies, 20(4), 446-470.
  • Drouin, M., Coupe, M., & Temple, J. R. (2017). Is sexting good for your relationship? It depends…. Computers in Human Behavior, 75, 749-756.
  • Lounsbury, K., Mitchell, K. J., & Finkelhor, D. (2011). The True Prevalence of “Sexting”.
  • Van Ouytsel, J., Walrave, M., Ponnet, K., & Temple, J. R. (2019). Sexting. The international encyclopedia of media literacy, 1-6.
  • Ringrose, J., Gill, R., Livingstone, S., & Harvey, L. (2012). A qualitative study of children, young people and’sexting’: a report prepared for the NSPCC.
  • Agustina, J. R., & Gómez-Durán, E. L. (2012). Sexting: Research criteria of a globalized social phenomenon. Archives of sexual behavior, 41, 1325-1328.
  • Döring, N. (2014). Consensual sexting among adolescents: Risk prevention through abstinence education or safer sexting. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 8(1), 9.
  • Strassberg, D. S., Cann, D., & Velarde, V. (2017). Sexting by high school students. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46, 1667-1672.
  • Englander, E. (2019). What do we know about sexting, and when did we know it?. Journal of Adolescent Health, 65(5), 577-578.
  • Samimi, P., & Alderson, K. G. (2014). Sexting among undergraduate students. Computers in Human Behavior, 31, 230-241.
  • Reyns, B. W., Burek, M. W., Henson, B., & Fisher, B. S. (2013). The unintended consequences of digital technology: Exploring the relationship between sexting and cybervictimization. Journal of Crime and Justice, 36(1), 1-17.