Many young people are sexting on social media
New research shows that it is very common among Norwegian teens to both send and receive messages with a photo or video of intimate body parts.
Sending and receiving messages, photos, or videos with sexually suggestive content is called ‘sexting’. And it is quite common among Norwegian teenagers, according to a recent survey.
Participants in the long-term “Trondheim Early Secure Study” were asked how often they send photos or videos of themselves undressed so that their breasts or genitals are visible.
“When they were 16 years old, 31 per cent answered that they had sent such messages. When they were 18 years old, that figure was 39 per cent,” says Professor Silje Steinsbekk at NTNU’s Department of Psychology.
Only 8 per cent had sent these kinds of photos and videos when they were 14 years old.
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More people receive than send
But it was much more common to have received photos and videos than to send them. Here, too, a lot happens from the age of 14 until 16.
“When they were 14 years old, 39 per cent had received such messages, compared to about 70 per cent when they were 16 and 18 years old,” Steinsbekk said.
The study is based on a sample of 743 young people, with roughly the same number of boys as girls.
The Trondheim Early Secure Study has been ongoing for several years.
This time, Professors Steinsbekk and Lars Wichstrøm at NTNU were joined by two colleagues from the United States, Jacqueline Nesi from Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School and Sophia Choukas-Bradley, from the University of Pittsburgh.
Sent to their boyfriend or girlfriend – gets sexts from strangers
The researchers also examined who the teens sent photos and videos to, and who sent to them. On average, most people send to acquaintances but receive from strangers.
“The most common thing when they were 16 and 18 was to send pictures and videos to their boyfriend or girlfriend,” Steinsbekk said.
Many also replied that they had received these kinds of messages from their boyfriend or girlfriend. In 18-year-old group, 32 per cent said they had received these kinds of sexts.
“But at all times, it was most common to have received photos and videos from people they didn’t know,” Steinsbekk said.
Most people sext on their preferred social media platforms, such as Snapchat or Instagram.
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Much more common after a while
Not unexpectedly, the older teens are, the more they sext. With puberty comes an interest in sex, and one of the developmental tasks in adolescence is to explore sexuality with a partner.
“It is therefore not surprising that young people most often send messages like this to their boyfriend or girlfriend,” says Steinsbekk.
The proportion who sext increases from 19 per cent in the 16-year-old group to 27 per cent in the 18-year-old group. In comparison, the figure is much lower at the age of 14, only 3.4 per cent.
Girls get more messages, especially from strangers
“As many boys as girls reported sending pictures and videos where they were undressed. But there were a larger number of girls who answered that they had received these messages, when they were asked as 14, 16 and 18-year-olds,” Steinsbekk said.
Silje Steinsbekk. Photo: Kai T. Dragland, NTNU
Girls are also more often sent photos and videos from strangers, and they more often receive these on their own social media pages.
“This indicates that girls are more vulnerable than boys to being sent unwanted messages, and what can be perceived as intrusive messages,” she said.
Boys reported more often than the girls that they were sent photos and videos from friends.
Need to both accept and protect
For many, sexting is a natural part of sexual development. At the same time, studies show that sexting increases the risk of sexual exploitation and abuse, although this research is inconclusive.
“We therefore need measures that recognize that sexting can promote sexual development and health, while at the same time we protect young people from the risks it can entail,” says Steinsbekk.
Reference:
Steinsbekk, S., Nesi, J., Choukas-Bradley, S. et al. Development and Characteristics of Sexting from Age 14 to 18 Years in a Norwegian Birth Cohort. Arch Sex Behav (2026).
