Back in my day, kids being kids was “borrowing” a six-pack from dad’s shed and running off with your friends, or cutting school. These days it seems a new epidemic is sexting, teens sending nude and / or naughty pictures to each other.

Researchers recently found that one in five teenagers have shared nude or semi-nude photos of themselves by cellphone or online. That statistic has become a fixture in articles about “sexting” and its social and legal implications. Using the online medium Teenage Research Unlimited (TRU) conducted the survey among 653 teenagers and 627 young adults who had enrolled in an online panel maintained by Luth Research, a San Diego market-research firm. The main debate is whether this form of activity actually spans towards child pornography, not younger people being cheeky or a little flirtatious.

From the number of people tallied above, the companies involved in the study contacted the directly. Not all responded (in fact only 10% of the total number) suggesting doing to poll online would have been better than phoning them. From the batch, 22% of teenage girls said they shared nude or semi-nude photos, but just 11% of girls ages 13 to 16. Many of those that were part of the survey were themselves unclear of the line between a flirty image and ‘pornographic material’ making things even harder. Either way, this is something that is on the increase and another reason my kids won’t get a mobile till they can drive.

[via Wall Street Journal]