Teens who pay their own phone bills are more likely to send “sexts”: 17% of teens who pay for all of the costs associated with their cell phones send sexually suggestive images via text compared with only 3% of those who do not pay for, or pay for only a portion of the cost of the cell phone, a nationally representative survey finds. Focus groups conducted by Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project also revealed that there are three main scenarios for sexting: 1) exchange of images solely between two romantic partners; 2) exchanges between partners that are shared with others outside the relationship and 3) exchanges between people who are not yet in a relationship, but where at least one person hopes to be. Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.