Whether or not to engage in sexting: Explaining adolescent sexting behaviour by applying the prototype willingness model

Abstract

a b s t r a c tSexting has received increasing scholarly and media attention. Especially, minors' engagement in this behaviour is a source of concern. As adolescents are highly sensitive about their image among peers and prone to peer influence, the present study implemented the prototype willingness model in order to assess how perceptions of peers engaging in sexting possibly influence adolescents' willingness to send sexting messages. A survey was conducted among 217 15-to 19-year-olds. A total of 18% of respondents had engaged in sexting in the 2 months preceding the study. Analyses further revealed that the subjective norm was the strongest predictor of sexting intention, followed by behavioural willingness and attitude towards sexting. Additionally, the more favourable young people evaluated the prototype of a person engaging in sexting and the higher they assessed their similarity with this prototype, the more they were willing to send sexting messages. Differences were also found based on gender, relationship status and need for popularity.

Images across Europe: The sending and receiving of sexual images and associations with interpersonal violence in young people's relationships

“…As Walrave et al (2015) report that the subjective norm is the strongest predictor of young people's sexting intention, iInterventions need to challenge the presumed, and media driven, norm that the vast majority of young people are engaged in sexting and thereby seek to alter what is considered the collective norm. We are not aligning sexting with risk in any simplistic manner, however we do need to ensure that young people are making informed decisions free from false assumptions.…”

“…A recent study by Walrave et al (2015) based on a small sample of 217 15-to 19-year-olds found that a total of 18% of respondents had engaged in sexting in the 2 months preceding the study. A nationally representative study of sexting found that 19% of teenagers had electrically sent a nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves and 31 % of teens have received such a message (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned 3 Pregnancy, 2008).…”

Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

“…Coerced sexting appears to occur most frequently among (young) women, who report that they felt pressured to engage in sexting by peers, friend groups, or romantic partners (Barrense-Dias et al 2017; Drouin et al 2015;Lippman and Campbell 2014;Walrave et al 2015). A study by Englander (2015) found that 70% of undergraduate college students had experienced a form of pressured or coerced sexting in the 4 years prior to the survey.…”

Sexting and Sexual Behavior, 2011-2015: A Critical Review and Meta-Analysis of a Growing Literature

“…Initially, researchers focused their efforts on establishing the prevalence of sexting within particular populations, but, more recently, scholars turned their attention to sexting correlates (Walrave et al, ). Neither set of studies, however, has produced consistent findings.…”