Wright, Lori

English

UNH Scholars' Repository

University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices12-5-2011Concerns About Teen Sexting Overblown,According to New UNH ResearchLori WrightUNH Media RelationsFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationWright, Lori, "Concerns About Teen Sexting Overblown, According to New UNH Research" (2011). UNH Today. 3840.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/3840Media Relations Home | Calendar | UNH HomeMedia RelationsConcerns About Teen Sexting Overblown, According To New UNH ResearchDecember 5, 2011 DURHAM, N.H. – Two new studies from the University of New Hampshire Crimes against Children Research Center suggest that concerns about teen sexting may be overblown. One study found the percentage of youth who send nude pictures of themselves that would qualify as child pornography is very low. The other found that when teen sexting images do come to police attention, few youth are being arrested or treated like sex offenders.The studies were carried out by researchers at UNH’s Crimes against Children Research Center, and published online today by the journal “Pediatrics.” The research is presented in the studies “Prevalence and Characteristics of Youth Sexting: A National Study” and “How Often Are Teens Arrested for Sexting? Data From a National Sample of Police Cases.”In the first study, UNH researchers surveyed 1,560 Internet users ages 10 through 17 about their experiences with sexting -- appearing in, creating, or receiving sexual images or videos via cell phone or the Internet. The study found that 2.5 percent of youth surveyed have participated in sexting in the past year, but only 1 percent involved images that potentially violate child pornography laws -- images that showed “naked breasts, genitals or bottoms.”“Lots of people may be hearing about these cases discovered by schools and parents because they create a furor, but it still involves a very small minority of youth,” said lead author Kimberly Mitchell, research assistant professor of psychology at the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center.In the second study, researchers discovered that in most sexting cases investigated by the police, no juvenile arrest occurred. There was an arrest in 36 percent of the cases where there were aggravating activities by youth, such as using the images to blackmail or harass other youth. In cases without aggravating elements, the arrest rate was 18 percent.The second study was based on a national sample of 675 sexting cases collected from a systematic survey of law enforcement agencies. The study also found that the very few teens who were subjected to sex offender registration had generally committed other serious offenses such as sexual assault.“Most law enforcement officials are handling these sexting cases in a thoughtful way and not treating teens like sex offenders and child pornographers,” said lead author Janis Wolak, senior researcher at the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center.In both studies, researchers found that sexual images of youth rarely were widely distributed online as many parents, youth, and law enforcement fear. In the teen survey, 90 percent of the youth said the images they created did not go beyond the intended recipient. Even in the cases where the images came to the attention of the police, two-thirds of the images stayed on cell phones and never circulated online.Created in 1998, the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center (CCRC) works to combat crimes against children by providing high-quality research and statistics to the public, policy makers, law enforcement personnel, and other child welfare practitioners. CCRC is concerned with research about the nature of crimes including child abduction, homicide, rape, assault, and physical and sexual abuse as well as their impact. ssociated with the CCRC is an internationally recognized group of experts who have published numerous books and articles concerning the incidence and impact of violence against children. Visit the center online at http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/index.html.SHAREPrintEmailSubscribeTweet FacebookPage 1 of 2Concerns About Teen Sexting Overblown, According to New UNH Research1/30/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/cj_nr/2011/dec/lw05sexting.cfm.htmlThe University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.-30-Editors and Reporters: Kimberly Mitchell can be reached at 603-862-4533 and kimberly.Mitchell@unh.edu. Janis Wolak can be reached at 603-862-4691 and Janis.wolak@unh.edu. David Finkelhor, director of the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center, can be reached at 603-862-2761 and david.finkelhor@unh.edu. For a copy of the full study, contact Debbie Linchesky, media relations manager, American Academy of Pediatrics, at 847-434-7084 and dlinchesky@aap.org. Media Contact: Lori Wright | 603-862-0574 | UNH Media Relations T-hallCopyright © 2012 UNH Media Relations, 15 Strafford Ave, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824.UNH is part of the University System of New Hampshire.ADA Acknowledgement | Privacy Policy | UNH Home | E-mail WebmasterPage 2 of 2Concerns About Teen Sexting Overblown, According to New UNH Research1/30/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/cj_nr/2011/dec/lw05sexting.cfm.html

Concerns About Teen Sexting Overblown, According to New UNH Research

https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4839&context=news

Concerns About Teen Sexting Overblown, According to New UNH Research

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

UNH Scholars' Repository