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.
With the raw data being available in the below table:
| Among Adults (+19) | Sent sext | Received sext | Shared sext |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.7% | 10.3% | 5.6% |
| 2001 | 4.5% | 13.7% | 6.9% |
| 2002 | 5.4% | 15% | 6.6% |
| 2003 | 6.1% | 17% | 6.1% |
| 2004 | 7% | 18.7% | 6.4% |
| 2005 | 7.1% | 18.2% | 6.2% |
| 2006 | 9.4% | 23.9% | 8.1% |
| 2007 | 11% | 28.9% | 9.8% |
| 2008 | 8.5% | 23.5% | 8% |
| 2009 | 8.4% | 28.1% | 9.5% |
| 2010 | 14.6% | 48.8% | 16.6% |
| 2011 | 16% | 49.4% | 16.8% |
| 2012 | 22.1% | 63.4% | 16.8% |
| 2013 | 21.2% | 57.8% | 25.8% |
| 2014 | 14.3% | 33.8% | 15.4% |
| 2015 | 24.7% | 52.4% | 24.3% |
| 2016 | 39.4% | 81% | 23.5% |
| 2017 | 45.6% | 87.4% | 26.1% |
| 2018 | 49.8% | 91.6% | 20% |
| 2019 | 44.9% | 78% | 15.5% |
| 2020 | 57.1% | 79.1% | 18.7% |
| 2021 | 63% | 79.6% | 18.8% |
| 2022 | 68.3% | 82.1% | 19% |
| 2023 | 76.9% | 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.
Again, the raw data for teenage sexting prevalence is accessible in the below table:
| Among teens (11-18) | Sent sext | Received sext | Shared sext |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.9% | 9.4% | 5.1% |
| 2001 | 3.2% | 9.8% | 3.8% |
| 2002 | 3.6% | 10.0% | 4.4% |
| 2003 | 3.8% | 10.6% | 3.8% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | 11.0% | 3.7% |
| 2005 | 4.7% | 12.1% | 4.1% |
| 2006 | 5.2% | 13.3% | 4.5% |
| 2007 | 5.8% | 15.2% | 5.2% |
| 2008 | 6.5% | 18.1% | 6.2% |
| 2009 | 7% | 23.4% | 8% |
| 2010 | 7.7% | 25.7% | 8.7% |
| 2011 | 8.4% | 26.0% | 8.8% |
| 2012 | 9.2% | 26.4% | 12% |
| 2013 | 10.1% | 27.5% | 12.3% |
| 2014 | 11.9% | 28.2% | 12.8% |
| 2015 | 13.7% | 29.1% | 13.5% |
| 2016 | 14.6% | 30.0% | 13.8% |
| 2017 | 16.3% | 31.2% | 14.5% |
| 2018 | 17.8% | 32.7% | 11.1% |
| 2019 | 18.7% | 32.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020 | 20.4% | 34.4% | 11.7% |
| 2021 | 22.5% | 34.6% | 11.8% |
| 2022 | 24.4% | 37.3% | 12.7% |
| 2023 | 26.5% | 38.2% | 13.0% |
Comparing teenagers and adults, 2000-2023
| % have sent sext | Teens | Adults |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.9% | 2.7% |
| 2001 | 3.2% | 4.5% |
| 2002 | 3.6% | 5.4% |
| 2003 | 3.8% | 6.1% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | 7% |
| 2005 | 4.7% | 7.1% |
| 2006 | 5.2% | 9.4% |
| 2007 | 5.8% | 11% |
| 2008 | 6.5% | 8.5% |
| 2009 | 7% | 8.4% |
| 2010 | 7.7% | 14.6% |
| 2011 | 8.4% | 16.0% |
| 2012 | 9.2% | 22.1% |
| 2013 | 10.1% | 21.2% |
| 2014 | 11.9% | 14.3% |
| 2015 | 13.7% | 24.7% |
| 2016 | 14.6% | 39.4% |
| 2017 | 16.3% | 45.6% |
| 2018 | 17.8% | 49.8% |
| 2019 | 18.7% | 44.9% |
| 2020 | 20.4% | 57.1% |
| 2021 | 22.5% | 63.0% |
| 2022 | 24.4% | 68.3% |
| 2023 | 26.5% | 76.9% |
| % have received sext | Teens | Adults |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 9.4% | 10.3% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | 13.7% |
| 2002 | 10% | 15% |
| 2003 | 10.6% | 17% |
| 2004 | 11% | 18.7% |
| 2005 | 12.1% | 18.2% |
| 2006 | 13.3% | 23.9% |
| 2007 | 15.2% | 28.9% |
| 2008 | 18.1% | 23.5% |
| 2009 | 23.4% | 28.1% |
| 2010 | 25.7% | 48.8% |
| 2011 | 26% | 49.4% |
| 2012 | 26.4% | 63.4% |
| 2013 | 27.5% | 57.8% |
| 2014 | 28.2% | 33.8% |
| 2015 | 29.1% | 52.4% |
| 2016 | 30% | 81% |
| 2017 | 31.2% | 87.4% |
| 2018 | 32.7% | 91.6% |
| 2019 | 32.5% | 78% |
| 2020 | 34.4% | 79.1% |
| 2021 | 34.6% | 79.6% |
| 2022 | 37.3% | 82.1% |
| 2023 | 38.2% | 87.9% |
| % have shared sext | Teens | Adults |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5.1% | 5.6% |
| 2001 | 3.8% | 6.9% |
| 2002 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2003 | 3.8% | 6.1% |
| 2004 | 3.7% | 6.4% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
| 2006 | 4.5% | 8.1% |
| 2007 | 5.2% | 9.8% |
| 2008 | 6.2% | 8.0% |
| 2009 | 8.0% | 9.5% |
| 2010 | 8.7% | 16.6% |
| 2011 | 8.8% | 16.8% |
| 2012 | 12.0% | 16.8% |
| 2013 | 12.3% | 25.8% |
| 2014 | 12.8% | 15.4% |
| 2015 | 13.5% | 24.3% |
| 2016 | 13.8% | 23.5% |
| 2017 | 14.5% | 26.1% |
| 2018 | 11.1% | 20.0% |
| 2019 | 11.1% | 15.5% |
| 2020 | 11.7% | 18.7% |
| 2021 | 11.8% | 18.8% |
| 2022 | 12.7% | 19.0% |
| 2023 | 13.0% | 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 sext | All | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teenager, 11-18 | 26.5% | 21.2% | 31.8% |
| Adult, 19-40 | 73.1% | 65.7% | 80.4% |
| Adult, 41-60 | 76.9% | 65.4% | 88.4% |
| Adult, 61+ | 52.3% | 42.9% | 61.7% |
| All adults | 67.4% | 58.0% | 76.8% |
| % Received sext | All | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teenager, 11-18 | 38.2% | 30.6% | 45.8% |
| Adult, 19-40 | 83.5% | 75.2% | 91.9% |
| Adult, 41-60 | 87.9% | 86.1% | 89.7% |
| Adult, 61+ | 61.5% | 50.5% | 72.6% |
| All adults | 77.6% | 70.6% | 84.7% |
| % Shared sext | All | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teenager, 11-18 | 13.0% | 18.2% | 7.8% |
| Adult, 19-40 | 14.3% | 25.7% | 2.9% |
| Adult, 41-60 | 18.2% | 28.8% | 7.6% |
| Adult, 61+ | 5.4% | 7.1% | 3.7% |
| All adults | 12.6% | 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.
Forwarding/Sharing sexting without consent
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 sext | 27.4% |
| Send sext | 14.8% |
| Shared sext | 12.0% |
| Had sext shared | 8.4% |
And, below the total overview of the studies on sexting among teenagers.
| Source | Participants, N | Mean age | % male | Type of sexting | Sexting contents | Geographic area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baumgartner et al (2014) | 14,946 | 13.49 | 49.7 | S | P,V,M | Europe multinational |
| Campbell and Park (2014) | 552 | 14.88 | 52.4 | S,R | P,V | United States |
| Cox Communications (2009) | 655 | 15.5 | 50 | S,R,SH-V | P | United States |
| Dake et al (2012) | 1,289 | 14.58 | 51.7 | S | P,V,M | United States |
| Dowdell et al (2011) | 2,077 | 16.03 | 44.6 | R | P | United States |
| Fleschler Peskin et al (2013) | 1034 | 16.34 | 37.4 | S,R,SH-P | P,V,M | United States |
| Harris et al (2013) | 123 | 16.6 | 44.7 | S,R,SH-P | P,V,M | United States |
| Houck et al (2014) | 410 | 12.34 | 53.4 | S | P,M | United States |
| Kerstens and Stol (2014) | 4,453 | 13.9 | 51.2 | S,R | P,V | the Netherlands |
| Kopecký (2015) | 1,237 | 14 | 44.9 | S | P,V | Czech Republic |
| Kopecký (2014) | 21,372 | 14 | 44.6 | S,SH-V | P,V,M | Czech Republic |
| Lee et al (2016) | 1,612 | 16 | 35.7 | S | P,V | Republic of Korea |
| Lee et al (2015) | 683 | 15.5 | 47 | S,R | P,V | Australia |
| Lenhart (2009) | 800 | 15.07 | 53.6 | S,R | P,V | United States |
| Lippman and Campbell (2014) | 51 | 14.55 | 51 | S,R | P,V | United States |
| Livingstone and Gorzig (2014) | 15,619 | 13.5 | 50 | R | P,M | Europe multinational |
| Marcum et al (2014) | 1,617 | 15.77 | 49.9 | S | P | United States |
| Mishna et al (2010) | 2,186 | 14.5 | 45.3 | S-V | P,M | Canada |
| Mitchell et al (2012) | 1,560 | 14.2 | 49.7 | R | P,V | United States |
| Murray (2014) | 467 | 15.96 | 48.4 | S,R,SH-P | P,V | United States |
| O’Sullivan (2014) | 269 | 17 | 34 | S,R | P | United States |
| Patrick et al (2015) | 2,114 | 16 | 38.4 | S,R | P,V | Australia |
| Rice et al (2012) | 1,714 | 15.23 | 51.9 | S | P,M | United States |
| Rice et al (2014) | 841 | 11.86 | 51.5 | S,R | P,M | United States |
| Ricketts et al (2015) | 1,617 | 15.77 | 49 | S | P | United States |
| Schloms-Madlener (2013) | 189 | 14 | 50.6 | S | P | South Africa |
| Ševčíková (2016) | 17,016 | 16 | 49 | S | P,V,M | Europe multinational |
| NCPTUP (2008) | 163 | 14.5 | 49 | S | P,V | United States |
| Strassberg et al (2013) | 606 | 15.9 | 54.3 | S,R | P | United States |
| Temple et al (2012) | 948 | 15.8 | 44.1 | S | P | United States |
| Van Ouytsel et al (2014) | 1,028 | 16.68 | 42 | S | P | Belgium |
| Van Ouytsel et al (2014) | 329 | 16.71 | 39.8 | S,R | P,V | Belgium |
| Vanden Abeele et al (2014) | 1,943 | 15.28 | 50.6 | S | P,V | Belgium |
| Velarde (2014) | 635 | Not available | 53.4 | S,R,SH-P | P | United States |
| Walrave et al (2014) | 498 | 16.5 | 46 | S | P,M | Belgium |
| Walrave et al (2015) | 217 | 16.72 | 38.2 | S | P,V,M | Belgium |
| Wolfe et al (2016) | 625 | 14.79 | 51.5 | R | P,V | United States |
| Wood et al (2015) | 3,170 | 15.27 | 50 | S,R,SH-V | P,M | Europe multinational |
| Ybarra and Mitchell (2014) | 3,715 | 15.5 | 43.3 | S | P | United States |
| Total | 110,380 | 15.16 | 47.23 | S=34, R=20, SH-V=5, SH-P=4 | P=39, V=21, M=14 | – |
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Other studies have found that sexting can lead to regret and can have legal, social, and psychological consequences.
- 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:
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (2015) found that sexting is associated with a higher likelihood of sexual behaviors among adolescents.
- The University of New Hampshire (2015) found that sexting is prevalent among college students and is associated with higher rates of sexual behavior.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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