Recent research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health has found that sexting does not contribute to an increase in depression symptoms or conduct problems among adolescents over time. This finding suggests that efforts to reduce sexting among young people may not prevent mental health issues as previously thought.
Adolescence is a pivotal developmental period marked by significant physical, emotional, and social changes. With the advent of digital media, communication methods have evolved, making digital platforms a significant arena for sexual socialization among teenagers. Sexting, which involves sending and receiving sexually explicit messages or images, has become more common as smartphone use has increased.
There have been growing concerns that sexting might be linked to mental health problems among adolescents. However, previous research has primarily relied on cross-sectional studies, which only capture a snapshot in time and cannot account for pre-existing differences between those who sext and those who do not.
“A range of studies have shown that sexting is negatively associated to mental health. However, the findings are mostly based on cross-sectional data, which cannot be used to rule out whether sexting causes mental health problems or if specific individuals are more prone to both participate in sexting and have poorer mental health,” said study author Lars Roar Frøyland, a senior researcher at Norwegian Social Research (NOVA) at the Oslo Metropolitan University.
“In our study, we were able to use a strong methodological design following the same individuals over time, thus enabling analyses which better can disentangle cause and effect. Our main motivation to study the topic was to utilize this methodological strength to provide more sound knowledge on the long-term association between sexting and mental health.”
The study utilized data from the MyLife study, a longitudinal research project examining health and development among Norwegian adolescents. The sample consisted of 3,000 adolescents, aged 15 to 19, who participated in at least one of three assessment periods from 2019 to 2021. The researchers measured sexting, depression symptoms, and conduct problems at each time point using standardized questionnaires.
Sexting was assessed through questions about sending or sharing sexual photographs or videos, with responses ranging from “never” to “every day or almost every day.” Depression symptoms were measured using a modified version of the Patient Health Questionnaire for adolescents, which includes items on low mood, sleep problems, and lack of energy. Conduct problems were assessed with questions about behaviors like stealing, bullying, and destroying property.
The study found that the proportion of adolescents engaging in sexting varied over time. For girls, 30.5% reported sexting at the first time point, 36.7% at the second, and 33.7% at the third. For boys, the figures were 33.1%, 29.9%, and 21.6%, respectively. Depression symptoms were generally higher among girls, while conduct problems were more common among boys.
Using a statistical method called the random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM), the researchers were able to separate individual differences from within-person effects over time. This method helps to determine whether changes in one variable predict changes in another within the same person.
The results showed no significant within-person effects of sexting on depression symptoms for either girls or boys. In other words, adolescents who increased their sexting behavior did not experience higher levels of depression compared to their usual levels. For girls, conduct problems at one time point were associated with increased sexting at the next time point, suggesting that conduct problems might lead to more sexting rather than the other way around.
“The study demonstrates that sexting does not contribute to increases in depression symptoms and conduct problems among adolescents over time,” Frøyland told PsyPost. “Accordingly, efforts to reduce sexting may not prevent mental health problems among young people. Practitioners should thus focus on educating adolescents on how to perform safe and responsible sexting.”
While this study provides valuable insights, it is not without limitations. One major limitation is that the questionnaire did not distinguish between consensual and non-consensual sexting. This distinction is crucial because non-consensual sexting, such as coercion or sharing without consent, could have different mental health impacts compared to consensual sexting.
“We cannot rule out that non-consensual sexting may negatively impact mental health while consensual does not,” Frøyland noted. “However, we mean that the methodological strength of the study outweighs this potential caveats.”
“I hope to be able to continue this line of research, both regarding the consensual use of digital media in adolescent sexuality and sexual violations associated with digital media. It should be expected that adolescents will continue to use digital media for sexual purposes, so we need to develop knowledge enabling them both to do this in a safe manner and to help them not violate others when doing this.”
The study, “Sexting and Mental Health in Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study,” was authored by Roar Frøyland, Rikke Tokle, Jasmina Burdzovic Andreas, and Geir Scott Brunborg.