Sexting among teens is up according to a new study that surveyed over 33,000 high school students.
The study released by Laval University shows a quarter of young people, between the age of 12 and 17, who are asked for nude or sexual pictures, agree to send them.
If we look just at the ages 15 and 16, that number jumps to one in two.
"This has now become a part of the youth dating game, if you will. The youth dating scene," said Dr. Laurie Betito, Host of Passion on CJAD 800.
She added, "Many of (the teens) are often in relationships and this is a form of communication between age mates, like between people who are interested in each other or are in a relationship."
The study also showed that girls between 12 and 16 are more likely than boys to send sexual picutres, but once we look at teens 17 and older, boys are more likely to send the pictures.
Betito said, "the same way we talk about the danger of unprotected sex, we need to talk about the dangers of using our smartphones and other forms of media when we're dealing with sexuality."
"Kids need to know that whatever is put out there is sort of permanently out there," added Betito.
"Often (they) don't have that thinking, where they're thinking ahead and thinking about the long term consequences of their actions. So it's up to their parents to have these discussions to talk about those potential consequences."
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