More on Teens & Sexting

According to a study conducted by the University of Texas Medical Branch published in the July issue of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine your sexting teens may be engaging in more actual sexual behavior than your non-sexting teens. This study looked at the relationship between sexting and sexual habits of 948 students from the ages of 14-19.

Here's what parents should know about their sexting teens:

1. The girls who were engaging in more sexting were also more likely to have started dating and having sex.

2. Among girls, more sexting was associated with a greater likelihood of using alcohol and drugs before engaging in sexual activity.

3. Among males, sexting was also associated with a greater likelihood of being sexually involved but there was no reported association with alcohol and drug use prior to engaging in sex.

4.Among girls,more sexting was associated with sex with multiple partners.

5. This association between sexting and multiple partners was not found in the sample of male teenagers. 

So, parents, here are 5 more reasons to become tech-savvy. Your teens' electronic behavior may be similar to their off-screen behavior. See your teen sexting? Yep, it is time once again to have a conversation about safe sex and good decisions. And here are 5 more reasons to monitor your teens' electronic lives. The electronic lives they lead may be something you need to know about.