20% Of American Teen Girls Send Nude Pictures As Sexy Gifts

One in five teenage girls in the US have sent a picture of themselves in a state of undress either by text, e-mail or online, according to a survey released this week.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (NCPTUP) and CosmoGirl.com surveyed almost 1,300 girls between 13 and 26 years old, with the results compiled into a 20 page report (PDF here).

They have seen a direct correlation in the fact that teens are early adopters of technology, and their tech savvy nature being used more and more to indulge in slightly unsavoury activities. The report thinks that the behaviour and persistent presence of teens online is beginning to affect their real-life behaviour, with them becoming more forward, daring and even aggressive in the case of boys.

Over 30% of teens surveyed said that swapping naughty texts makes dating or getting together more likely, whilst nearly one-third said they believe that people exchanging sexy content expect to date or hook up.

“That so many young people say technology is encouraging an even more casual, hook-up culture is reason for concern, given the high rates of teen and unplanned pregnancy in the United States,” Marisa Nightingale, senior advisor to the Entertainment Program at the NCPTUP said in a statement. “Parents should understand that their own notions of what’s public, what’s private, and what’s appropriate, may differ greatly from how teens and young adults define these concepts.”

The number of celebutantes that have had sexy photos intended for boyfriends but ending up online just goes to show how pervasive this behaviour must be in America. Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus…the list goes on. If your children look up to other children as role models, it is hardly any surprise that this is the outcome.

Whatever happened to just passing notes in class?

Source: Information Week

Tags: american teens, sexy pics