Most minors unaware of legal upshot of 'sexting'

More minors in the US are now involved in "sexting" - exchanging sexually explicit text messages, a new study says, adding that they are not even aware of the legal ramifications of underage "sexting".

In fact, most undergraduate participants were unaware that many jurisdictions consider "sexting" among minors to be child pornography, a prosecutable offence.

More than 50 percent of those surveyed reported that they had exchanged sexually explicit text messages, with or without photographic images, as minors, researchers from California-based Drexel University said.

The majority of respondents - 61 percent - were not aware that "sexting" could be considered child pornography.

Only two percent of respondents reported that they notified a parent or teacher about a "sext" that they received.

"This is a scary and disturbing combination. Given the harsh legal penalties associated with youth "sexting" and the apparent frequency with which youth are engaging in it, the lack of comprehension regarding such penalties poses a significant problem," explained lead researcher David DeMatteo from Drexel University.

In the study, undergraduate students from a university completed an anonymous online survey concerning their engagement in "sexting" as minors.

"Young people need to be educated about the potential consequences of sexting - legal, social and psychological," DeMatteo added in the study published online in the journal Sexuality Research and Social Policy.