Sexting Statistics 2024: How common is it for people to sext?

Sexting refers to the process of sending sexually explicit text messages, images, or videos to someone using their smartphone, desktop, etc. The practice of sexting is generally considered taboo but the numbers and sexting statistics in the digital world completely say otherwise since 8 out of 10 adults have reported to have sexted. Nowadays, AI Sexting apps are becoming popular, too.

Around 88% of Americans aged 18 and older have stated being engaged in sexting at least once in their life. In this article, we will provide insight into Sexting statistics in 2024 and explain how common sexting is among people.  

Top Sexting Statistics 2024 

• 88% of American adults who are aged 18 and above have stated being involved in sexting activity at some point in their lives. 
• 76.9% of U.S. adults were involved in sending sexual texts in 2023. 
• Millennials are the leading generation with the highest percentage of individuals engaging in sexting at 37%. 
• 12.1% of American adults have reported engaging in sexting outside of their relationship. 
• 1 in 5 teenagers have been engaged in sexting activity.
• Baby Boomers are the generation with the lowest number of individuals engaging in sexting activity by 5%. 
• 24% of teenagers have been involved in sending sexts with images.
• More than 50% of adults hesitantly engage in sexting. 

How Common is Sexting? 

The practice of sexting has become quite common among the adults aged 18 and above and sexting isn’t considered as a taboo among the people anymore. Around 88% of American adults have reported having sexted in their lifetime and 82.20% reported sexting within the last year itself.

Sexting is a form of communication between romantic partners to increase intimacy and connection and strengthen their relationship. 73.9% of American adults have admitted to sending sexual text messages within a committed relationship. 

• 43% of American adults claim to have engaged in sexting during a casual relationship.
• 12.1% of U.S. adults have participated in sexual texting outside of their relationship. 
• 95.9% of people in the U.S. are likely to use their smartphone or cell phone for sexting activity. 
• 30% of Americans aged 18 and above have stated to engage in sexting activity in a work environment or outside of the home.  
• 76.1% of adults are likely to sext from their homes. 

Distribution of Adults who have sent, received, or shared a sext in the US (from 2000 to 2023)

There has been a constant growth in the percentage of users involved in sexting from 2000 to 2023. As of 2000, adults aged 19 years and above shared a sext by 5.6% where 2.7% of users have sent a sext and 10.3% received a sext. Meanwhile, in 2023, the numbers took a massive turn as the percentage of sending a sext reached 76.9% and 87.9% received a sext from others. Even though the number of sent and received sexts has increased significantly over the years, especially since 2015, the number of shared sexts has remained low over the years. 

Below we have mentioned a detailed table showcasing the number of sent, received, and shared text among Americans from 2000 to 2023:  

Year	Sent sext	Received sext	Shared sext
2000	2.7%	10.3%	5.6%
2001	4.5%	13.7%	6.9%
2002	5.4%	15%	6.6%
2003	6.1%	17%	6.1%
2004	7%	18.7%	6.4%
2005	7.1%	18.2%	6.2%
2006	9.4%	23.9%	8.1%
2007	11%	28.9%	9.8%
2008	8.5%	23.5%	8%
2009	8.4%	28.1%	9.5%
2010	14.6%	48.8%	16.6%
2011	16%	49.4%	16.8%
2012	22.1%	63.4%	16.8%
2013	21.2%	57.8%	25.8%
2014	14.3%	33.8%	15.4%
2015	24.7%	52.4%	24.3%
2016	39.4%	81%	23.5%
2017	45.6%	87.4%	26.1%
2018	49.8%	91.6%	20%
2019	44.9%	78%	15.5%
2020	57.1%	79.1%	18.7%
2021	63%	79.6%	18.8%
2022	68.3%	82.1%	19%
2023	76.9%	87.9%	18.2%

Sexting Statistics by Generation 

Based on a survey conducted in 2022 of online users in the United States, it was revealed that Millennials were the generation with the largest number of adults engaging who have sent sexually explicit messages or images 37% followed by Gen Z in the second position by 20% and Generation X by 19%. Baby Boomers were ranked last in the list by 5%. 

Below, we have mentioned a table showcasing the share of respondents in sexting based on generation in 2022. 

Generation	Share of respondents
Gen Z	20%
Millennials	37%
Generation X	19%
Baby Boomers	5%

Sexting Statistics Among Adults 

Sexting is highly common among adults aged 18 and older. Today, most married couples or people in committed relationships consider sexting as a form of digital communication to improve their relationships. Let’s take a look at some of the top sexting statistics among adults: 

88% of U.S Adults claim they have sexted once in their life 

An online survey was conducted with 870 heterosexual adult participants ranging between the ages of 18 to 82 regarding sexting. It was revealed through this survey that around 88% of U.S Adults have sexted (sent or received sexually explicit messages) at least once in their life along with 82% claiming they had done so last year. 

The survey also further revealed that about 74% of participants stated they performed sexting with their partner in a committed relationship. While 43% claimed sexting with a partner in a casual relationship and 12% had sexted someone in a cheating relationship. In addition, the survey conducted also stated that 96% of the participants “endorse” it.

39% of American adults in relationships have stated they engage in sexting activity with their partners 

Sexting is no longer considered a taboo among the audience, and many individuals in romantic relationships consider it a common form of communication with their partners. 39% of American adults in romantic relationships have said they have exchanged sexually explicit messages with their partners as they claim it helps strengthen their relationship and increase intimacy and connection between the couple. 

34% of college students have stated that they have been involved in sending sexually explicit messages 

It is no surprise that a significant amount of college-going students have been involved in sending sexually explicit messages to others. Advanced technology and the accessibility of smartphones among the young audience have increased the possibility of individuals engaging in this activity. Currently, 34% of college students have reported being involved in sexting. 

Every 1 in 5 smartphone users claims to utilize the device for sexting purposes

Today, sexting has become a common practice among smartphone users. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans who own a smartphone have been engaged in sexting activity, sharing intimate text messages or explicit images with another person based on a new survey. The age group that has the highest number of individuals sexting is 18 to 34-year-old male users at 32% and 35 to 44-year-old female users at 25%.

1 in 10 smartphone users aged 55 and above have also sexted 

Sexting is not only common among the younger audience but smartphone users aged 55 and above have also been involved in sending or receiving sexual messages or images on their smartphones. According to a survey, 1 in 10 smartphone users aged 55 and above have sexted at least once in their life. 30% of the parents who have kids below the age of 18 have sexted.

Sexting Among Married Couples

Around 29% of American married heterosexual couples have reported to have engaged in sexual conversations with their spouses via text messages through their smartphones. Meanwhile, 12% of those heterosexual couples have revealed sending nude images to their partners at some point in time.

Sexual talks through text messages	Nude images
29%	12%

• The study also revealed that 19% of the husbands and around 16% of the wives have revealed sending sexually explicit text messages at least once a week or more.
• Among American married heterosexual couples, 12% of wives and 11% of husbands reported sending sexual messages to their partner once every month. 
• Around 5% of husbands and 3% of wives have claimed to send nude images to their partners once a month or more.

Overall, sexting is less common among married couples in comparison to adults in committed relationships. One of the primary reasons behind this could be age as a large section of married individuals are older and less likely to engage in showcasing intimacy through text messages.

Sexting Statistics Among Teenagers 

Not only adults, but sexting is also a common practice among teenagers aged between 12 to 17. According to reports, 1 in 4 American teenagers have stated they have been involved in sexting. Let’s take a look at the top sexting statistics among teenagers to understand the impact of sexting among the younger audience. 

Share of respondents who have sent sext, received sext, and shared sext (from 2000 to 2023) 

Surprisingly, sexting is not an unfamiliar activity among teenagers, especially in the digital world where most teens already own a smartphone and have access to a strong internet connection. In 2000, the percentage of teens that had sent a sext was 1.9%, while the percentage that received a sext was 9.4, and the shared sext was 5.1%. However, with each passing year, the practice has become increasingly common among the younger audience. In 2023, the share of respondents who have sent sexts was 26.5%, the received sext reached 38.2%, and the shared sext percentage extended to 13.0%. 

Here is a breakdown of the share of teenagers who have sent sexts, received sexts, and shared text from 2000 to 2023: 

Among teens (11-18)	Sent sext	Received sext	Shared sext
2000	1.9%	9.4%	5.1%
2001	3.2%	9.8%	3.8%
2002	3.6%	10.0%	4.4%
2003	3.8%	10.6%	3.8%
2004	4.1%	11.0%	3.7%
2005	4.7%	12.1%	4.1%
2006	5.2%	13.3%	4.5%
2007	5.8%	15.2%	5.2%
2008	6.5%	18.1%	6.2%
2009	7%	23.4%	8%
2010	7.7%	25.7%	8.7%
2011	8.4%	26.0%	8.8%
2012	9.2%	26.4%	12%
2013	10.1%	27.5%	12.3%
2014	11.9%	28.2%	12.8%
2015	13.7%	29.1%	13.5%
2016	14.6%	30.0%	13.8%
2017	16.3%	31.2%	14.5%
2018	17.8%	32.7%	11.1%
2019	18.7%	32.5%	11.1%
2020	20.4%	34.4%	11.7%
2021	22.5%	34.6%	11.8%
2022	24.4%	37.3%	12.7%
2023	26.5%	38.2%	13.0%

Teen Sexting Frequency 

According to a study by American high school and middle school students with over 5500 students aged between 12 to 17 years 13% have reported sending explicit text messages to others while 18.5% of students have reported receiving a sexually explicit message. 

Sent Sext	Received Sext
13%	18.5%

• This study revealed about 17.5% of students were asked to send a sext to someone.
• 12.7% of Male American students between 12 and 17 have reported sending sexually explicit messages to their girlfriend or boyfriend at some point. At the same time, 5.1% reported doing so in the last month. 
• 8.5% of American females aged between 12 and 17 have reported being involved in sexting with their boyfriend or girlfriend at some point in their life. 3.3% admitted to doing so in the last month. 
• 6.7% of students even reported sexting with someone not their boyfriend or girlfriend. 
• 4.8% of male American students have reported that someone shared the information with them without their consent.

1 in 4 American teenagers have reported to be involved in sexting activity

Sexting is a common practice among teenagers as well. According to a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that every 1 in 4 American teenagers have claimed to send a sexually explicit image or text message. Although experts claim sexting is an emerging and common part of sexual development among teenagers it’s important to note that sexting is still considered a felony in 6 states in the US including Georgia, Florida, and Utah. Meanwhile, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Nevada consider sexting a violation, imposing fines, counseling, and community service.

75% of Young People Said Nothing Bad Came of Sexting 

According to a survey conducted by Cybersurvey, it was revealed that around 78% of young individuals have tried sexting before and they say they didn’t find any bad consequences in it. Even though nothing bad has turned out for the young audience, the chances of future consequences are still pretty high. 

In today’s age, everyone has access to smartphones and the internet including minors. The internet has opened gates for various social media platforms and has raised concerns about various age-inappropriate behaviors and activities such as Sexting. A large section of minors might not think of sexting as an issue or major concern. Still, in reality, there are various risks associated with sexting such as the sharing of images and messages to third persons without consent, causing privacy violations.

40% of female teenagers revealed they have sexted as a joke 

According to a report by DoSomething.org, it was revealed that a large number of teenage girls have been engaged in sexting. It also revealed that 40% of the teenage girls claimed that they had sexted before as a joke. 

It also revealed that about 17% of the sext recipients shared the images and texts with others while about 55% shared them with multiple people. Young people might not consider sharing images and texts with others as a concern initially; however, it can cause major issues in the future for the sender and affect their reputation.

There were over 7,000 reports of sextortion involving minors in 2022 

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, there were more than 7,000 reports of sextortion involving minors seen by law enforcement agencies in 2022 which resulted in 3,000 who were primarily boys. Few cases ever witnessed victims committing suicide. 

The sextortion schemes majorly occur in online platforms where people utilize social media platforms to communicate with young audiences and gain explicit content such as photos and videos from them for financial benefit. Predators often create fake IDs and target minors by becoming overly friendly to gain their trust. 

Conclusion 

Sexting is a common practice performed among adults at a large scale to overcome relationship challenges between couples and enhance intimacy. Based on the above statistics and surveys conducted by experts it is clear that the number of people engaging in sexting is rising and accepting sexually explicit conversations in the digital form. Although it is common among adults it’s quite a risky activity when it comes to teenagers and should be avoided by anyone below the age of 18 as it causes various risky concerns such as sharing of explicit images or videos of teens without consent.