Teen sexting isn't always cause for parental panic, researchers say

New research from UTMB’s Jeff Temple finds that sexting among teenagers is on the rise, causing anxiety among parents. Temple said that when parents find out their child has been sexting it can be used as a teaching opportunity. “What I’m trying to get at is that with sexual activity and teenagers, we can’t ignore it and pretend it doesn’t happen,” Temple said. “Let’s talk about sex education that includes options, that includes sexting, and talk about safe, healthy ways to do it.” The research found that out of 110,000 adolescents, 27 percent have received and 15 percent have sent these images or messages by text. [See the attached file for the full text of the story.] The Houston Chronicle, USA Today, Scary Mommy, SheKnows and the Coloradoan all reported the research findings.