Kids are sexting earlier than ever, a new survey has found.
More than one in 10 8-year-olds have been exposed to sexting, with that number climbing to just over 42 percent by age 14, according to an analysis of kids’ messages by parenting app Jiminy.
The nine-month study parsed 54 million texts and 1.5 million hours of phone usage to determine just how often American kids are sending each other X-rated content.
The app used algorithms to parse the anonymized messages of the kids whose phones they protect, with the program finding key words, phrases and emojis that were red flags for sexual behavior.
Popular emojis included the phallic eggplant, smirking smiley face and open mouth. Common words and phrases included “how old are you,” “panties” and “licking.”
Sexting starts earlier for girls, the research found, with 15.5 percent of 8-year-old girls exposed to sexting, compared to 5.9 percent of boys the same age. By age 16, girls are leading 44.4 percent to 36.8 percent.
By age 13, 24 percent of children were asked to send nude photos or requested them themselves, according to the data. Those numbers were generally higher for girls — including 6.8 percent of 10-year-old girls either asking for or having been asked for nude photos.
But overall, the numbers found that sexting among kids and teens is mostly mutual, with 58.5 percent of all sexts being sent between two willing parties for kids ages 10 to 17.
Jiminy CEO Tal Guttman said he hopes the survey results help highlight the scale of youth sexting.
“Parents need visibility in order to parent, as you can only teach right from wrong when you know what issues your children are struggling with,” Guttman said. “We hope that shedding light on the alarming frequency and nature of sexting will make parents better equipped to deal with this touchy topic.”
Source: Nypost
