Sexting is common among Norwegian teens. This is shown by a long-term study by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). According to the study, 31 percent of adolescents have already sent nude photos or videos of themselves with visible breasts or genitals at the age of 16. At the age of 18, this proportion rose to 39 percent. At the age of 14, it was still eight percent.

Receiving such messages is much more common than sending. At the age of 14, 39 percent of those surveyed had already received such photos or videos. At 16 and 18 years of age, it was about 70 percent each.

The data comes from the “Trondheim Early Secure Study”, in which 743 young people took part – about the same number of boys and girls. The current evaluation was carried out by Professor Silje Steinsbekk and Professor Lars Wichstrøm from the NTNU Department of Psychology together with two US scientists.

Most young people send such recordings to their boyfriend or girlfriend. At the same time, many said they had also received such messages from their partner. Most often, however, the messages came from unknown persons. 18-year-olds in particular reported that 32 percent had received such pictures or videos from their partner.

Girls received sexting messages significantly more often than boys – especially from strangers and directly on their own social media profiles. Boys, on the other hand, reported more often receiving such messages from friends. Both boys and girls sent their own nude photos equally often.

The researchers explain the increase with normal sexual development during puberty. Sexting is mainly exchanged on platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram. While it is a natural part of exploring sexuality for many young people, such news also carries risks such as sexual exploitation.

The study therefore underlines the need to recognize sexting as part of healthy development on the one hand and to protect adolescents from possible dangers on the other.

Original Paper:

Steinsbekk, S., Nesi, J., Choukas-Bradley, S. et al. Development and Characteristics of Sexting from Age 14 to 18 Years in a Norwegian Birth Cohort. Arch Sex Behav (2026).

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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