Overview
- A nationally representative survey of 3,466 U.S. teens found 32.4% had received a sext and 23.9% had sent one, up from 23% and 14% in 2019 using the same methods.
- Among teens who sent a sext, 46.8% said their images were shared without consent and 49.6% reported being targeted with sextortion.
- Risk surged when sexting occurred outside a current romantic relationship, with teens more than 13 times likelier to see images shared without permission and nearly five times likelier to face sextortion.
- Boys were more likely than girls to send and receive sexts and to ask or be asked for them, non-heterosexual youth reported higher participation, and white and multiracial teens had the highest rates.
- Younger adolescents were especially vulnerable, with over 60% of 13-year-old senders reporting nonconsensual sharing compared with about 41% of 17-year-olds, as 30% of all teens reported being asked for a sext and AI tools add new avenues for exploitation.