---
title: "“Sext” Senders"
description: "17% of teens who pay for all of the costs associated with their cell phones send sexually suggestive images via text."
date: "2009-12-29"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2009/12/29/sext-senders/"
---

# “Sext” Senders

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](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/1440/teens-sexting-text-messages)