Sending and receiving sexually explicit messages is more common among teenagers than many might think. A new nationally representative study of Czech adolescents reveals not only how many of them engage in sexting, but also how they feel about it – and why girls often report more negative emotions than boys.
Sexting – the sending and receiving of messages containing sexually suggestive text, images, or videos featuring semi-nude or nude individuals – is a widespread activity among adolescents worldwide. It is closely linked to their psychosocial and sexual development. Researchers therefore recognize consensual sexting – that is, sexting that occurs with the agreement of all parties involved – as a normal part of adolescence. In contrast, non-consensual sexting includes, for example, receiving sexual content without consent.
In our nationally representative study of 2,500 Czech adolescents aged 11–16, we examined not only how many teens sext, but also how they feel after sending or receiving a sexual message – a question that, until now, had not been explored quantitatively.
How Many Czech Adolescents Sext?
In our research, we distinguished between two types of receiving sexual messages: expected (messages the adolescent anticipated) and unexpected (messages that arrived without warning). This terminology was chosen by the adolescents themselves during cognitive interviews, as they found it more relatable than the terms “wanted” and “unwanted.” Still, it’s possible that someone received an unexpected message and still perceived it positively.
4.5% of adolescents receive expected sexual messages at least once a month (4.6% of girls and 4.5% of boys). Over the past six months, 15.4% received such a message. The majority, however, have never received one (84.4% of girls and 84.9% of boys). We found no significant gender differences.
Similarly, 4.5% of adolescents receive unexpected sexual messages at least once a month. Here, we observed significant gender differences: girls receive them more often (5.7%) than boys (3.4%). 79.6% of girls and 83.6% of boys have never received such a message.
Most adolescents (92.1%) have never sent a sexual message (92.5% of girls and 91.7% of boys). 2.7% send such messages at least once a month (2.3% of girls and 3.2% of boys). Again, we found no significant gender differences.
All three types of sexting are strongly associated with age: the older the adolescent, the more likely they are to engage in sexting.
How Do Teens Feel After Sexting?
In our study, we also newly focused on the feelings that sexting evokes. We asked adolescents to rate how “happy” and how “upset” they felt after sexting.
At least once a month, 26.5% of adolescents (21.6% of girls and 31.5% of boys) feel happy after receiving the expected message. In contrast, 33.8% feel upset (44.1% of girls and 23.3% of boys). Half of the girls (51.7%) reported that they never feel happy after receiving such a message (compared to 36.9% of boys). Only 16.4% of girls never feel upset, compared to 30.2% of boys.
When it comes to receiving unexpected sexual messages, 10. 2% of adolescents feel happy at least once a month (6.5% of girls and 14.8% of boys) and 45.3% of adolescents feel upset at least once a month (53.2% of girls and 35.5% of boys). Nearly three-quarters of girls (71.3%) never feel satisfied after receiving unexpected news (compared to 56.8% of boys).
In contrast, 20.3% of adolescents never feel upset (17.2% of girls and 24.2% of boys).
For sending, we found no significant differences in feelings between girls and boys. At least once a month, 34.7% of adolescents feel satisfied after sending a message (29.5% of girls and 39.4% of boys). 17.8% of adolescents feel upset (19.1% of girls and 16.5% of boys).
Why do girls more often feel upset than boys? The explanation may lie in the different social expectations we place on girls and boys in relation to sexting. While boys often see sexting as a joke or a normal part of communication, girls face a double standard:
- If they do not participate in sexting, they may be labeled “prude” or “uninteresting.”
- If they do sext, they are often labelled promiscuous, which is perceived negatively among their peers.
Another important phenomenon is ‘dickpics’ - unexpected messages containing a photograph of a penis, often without the recipient's prior consent. As qualitative research shows, women are significantly more likely to encounter this type of message, describing it as a “part and parcel of the experience of being a woman online,” although it does evoke strong negative feelings (Amundsen, 2020).
Want to learn more? More information and detailed data are awaiting in our newly published manuscript in the New Media and Society. You can cite our research as: Lebedíková, M. Š., Olveira-Araujo, R., Subrahmanyam, K., & Šmahel, D. (2025). Individual factors of expected and unexpected sexting and the subsequent feelings: A nationally representative study in adolescents. New Media & Society, 27(5), 2552–2574. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251333731
At the end of June, we participated in an international conference in Budapest, where we presented the first results of the Perceived anonymity in computer-mediated communication (PACC) project along with other research activities. Interested in what we presented? Detailed information and the full texts of our talks can be found below!
As part of Safer Internet Day 2025, the Interdisciplinary Research Team on Internet and Society (IRTIS), a member of the EU Kids Online network, presents a new report with key findings from 15 comprehensive studies examining the impact of digital technology use on adolescent wellbeing.
