ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Four percent of adolescent Internet-users in the country have been asked to send a sexually explicit photo of themselves online, according to a recent survey.
The study, sponsored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, surveyed 1,500 Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17 over the phone. The center released its results on July 13 in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Of the 65 children who admitted receiving a request, only one sent in a photo. However, researchers estimate that with millions of teens and pre-teens surfing the Web, that number could project into thousands.
According to Kimberly Mitchell, a professor at the University of New Hampshire, adolescents may mistakenly believe the request is only for personal use. She fears the numbers may be growing with the increased availability of camera phones and other photographic gadgets.
Researchers also found that certain qualities may make an adolescent more likely to receive a request for a sexual photo. Examples include talking online with someone about sex, having a close relationship with someone exclusively online, and suffering physical or sexual abuse.
