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An Exploratory Study of Transactional Sexting Among High School Students
Joris Van Ouytsel1, Michel Walrave1, Koen Ponnet2
1Department of Communication Studies, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Purpose:
This study aims to gain more insight into the prevalence and associations of transactional sexting, which refers to the sending of self-made sexually explicit images or videos in exchange for something else.
Methods:
A survey was conducted among 2,626 high school students (n = 1,530 girls; 58.4% female) aged between 14 and 21 years (M = 16.14; SD = 1.02). We compared youth who engaged in transactional sexting and those who did not for a range of demographic and sexual health variables.
Results:
Youth who engaged in transactional sexting were more likely to be male, to identify as a sexual minority, to have retaken a year of school, and to be sexually active, than those who did not. We also found associations with sexual risk behaviors.
Conclusions:
The results highlight the need for future research. Clinicians may screen for sexual health behaviors when counseling youth who have engaged in transactional sexting.