Sexting and the Definition Issue

Abstract

Sexting among youths has become a necessary topic of interest in research because of the negative consequences that this activity could create, especially when content is shared with others. Indeed, this loss of control could lead to humiliation, (cyber)bullying, or harassment. The development of new technologies, press coverage, and increase of prevalence rates could also explain the growth of interest in sexting. However, its definition is still a gray area. This review examines the different definitions of sexting used in the literature and its correlates. Several elements of the definition of sexting were assessed: actions (sending, receiving, and forwarding); media types (text, images, and videos); sexual characteristics; and transmission modes. Nine databases were searched for studies on sexting among youths up to 18 years of age. Eighteen studies published between 2012 and 2015 were included. Prevalence rates of sexting ranged between .9% and 60% partly depending on the definition. Most studies assessed sending, but when sending and receiving were measured, prevalence rates were higher for receiving. Some articles found associations with age, gender, race, sexual behavior, romantic relationships, risky behaviors, online activity, psychological difficulties, and social pressure. Finding a consensus regarding the definition is essential to assess accurately the activity and adapt prevention. Adolescents' interpretations of the activity are important as sexting could be used as a sexual behavior between two consenting persons. Prevention strategies should focus on sexting that goes wrong when it is forwarded to a third party and when it occurs in a context of pressure or harassment.

Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

“…Weekes-Shackelford (eds. ), Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_218-1 (Barrense-Dias et al 2017;Englander 2015;Van Ouytsel et al 2017). Outside of a relationship context, sexting has also been found to occur as a joke, a dare, or as a bonding ritual between friends (Lippman and Campbell 2014;Van Ouytsel et al 2017).…”

“…Scholars have defined sexting in a variety of ways, from broad definitions that include the sending of all types of self-made sexually explicit media (Barrense-Dias et al 2017) to more specific definitions that are limited to sending photos and videos of particular body parts. Studies also differ in the timeframe; respondents were asked to recall (e.g., 6 months vs. a year), and whether the studies were conducted among adolescents or adults.…”

“…Although sexting was originally treated by the literature as a deviant behavior, it is now increasingly viewed as a normative part of sexual communication and expression (Barrense-Dias et al 2017;Kosenko et al 2017;Temple 2015).…”

Adolescent Profiles According to Their Beliefs and Affinity to Sexting. A Cluster Study

“…One of the sources of variability lies in the definition used [8]. When more restricting definitions are used, which only consider sexting to occur when there are sexually explicit or nude images, we find that approximately 5%-28% of adolescents admit to sexting [9], whereas when broader definitions are used, which also recognize suggestive images, over 60% of young people admit to sexting [10].…”

Trouble at teens' fingertips: Youth sexting and the law

“…There is no single, agreed‐upon definition for sexting. Recently Barrense‐Dias, Berchtold, Suris, and Akre () undertook a review of 223 articles related to teen (age 18 and under) sexual communication identified from academic databases using the search terms “sexting”, “sex‐texting”, “sexual messaging”, and “sexto” (Spanish for “sext”) to describe the behavior. Based on their inclusion criteria they utilized 18 studies to evaluate how researchers define sexting.…”