Purpose: Sexting, the sending or receiving of sexually explicit or sexually suggestive images or video, is
a potentially risky behavior in which many youth participate. The purpose of this study was to examine
the extent of sexting, as well as related harms including nonconsensual sharing of content and sextortion,
especially when sexting with those who are not current romantic partners.
Method: Using a national sample of 3,466 adolescents aged 13—17 years in the United States, the
current study explored the prevalence of sexting behaviors and related negative outcomes. Differences
across age, race, gender, and sexual orientation were assessed using Chi-square tests. We
also used multivariate logistic regression to examine the odds of negative outcomes when sharing
sexts with those who are not current romantic partners.
Results: About one-third of teens in the sample had participated in sexting by either sending (24%) or
receiving (32%) explicit content, or both. Among those, undesirable outcomes frequently occurred.
Specifically, about half of the teens who sent a sext had it shared with others without their permission
or were subject to sextortion. Differences were observed across different demographic groups. Youth
who sent a sext to someone who was not a current romantic partner were 13 times more likely to
have their image shared without their permission and five times more likely to be the target of
sextortion compared to youth who only sent sexts to current romantic partners.
Discussion: The findings demonstrate that a minority of teens are participating in sexting, but
when they do, undesirable outcomes are common. A comprehensive educational strategy for
preventing teen sexting involving harm reduction strategies, social norming, and a renewed focus
on healthy and safe sexual behavior online is warranted.
Keywords: Sexting; Sextortion; Nonconsensual sharing of intimate images; Risky behavior
Patchin, J.W. & Hinduja, S. (2026). When Sexting Goes Wrong: The Extent of Nonconsensual Sharing
and Sextortion Among U.S. Teens, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.12.253
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