1 in 5 Teens Send Naked Pics of Self

A recent study has shown that one in five teens have sent revealing photos of themselves in emails or on their mobile phones.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com collaborated and talked to a group of young people ranging in age from 13 to 26. The study found that despite 80 percent of the group saying they’d be wary of sending a suggestive picture of themselves or a dirty text because they might live to regret it and 70 percent saying they were worried it could "disappoint family," one in five of the teenagers surveyed had sent a racy message.

According to NCTUP, more than 30 per cent of girls in the United States get pregnant before they turn 20 and many become pregnant for the second time before they turn 20. The Guttmacher Institute claims that nearly half of all 15- to 19-year-olds in America have had sex.

So where does it all link up? NCTUP’s survey says that just under 40 percent of young people say exchanging these types of messages makes dating or sex more likely, and 30 percent say those who exchange sexually suggestive content are "expected to hook up."

While this survey is a little bit iffy in some ways (the idea of a 25 year old woman sending a picture of herself to her boyfriend is nothing), there are parts of it that are actually pretty scary. According to the survey, 11 percent of girls between 13 and 16 have sent dodgy pictures of themselves and 15 percent of teens have sent pictures to people they only know online.

Read the full story on SMH.