Study Finds Widespread Sexting at College

Something tells us it won’t be long now before a sexting scandal hits student government.

A recent study at the University of Rhode Island found that nearly four in five college students (78 percent) have received sexually suggestive messages, and more than half (56 percent) have received sexually suggestive images. Two-thirds of the group, meanwhile, admitted to sending the racy emails and texts.

While the majority were sent from someone the recipient was in a relationship with, that didn’t mean the intimate messages remained For Their Eyes Only: 17 percent of those surveyed said they had forwarded at least one on to other people.

While the study was limited to only 204 college students at the University of Rhode Island, researchers say the results support larger technological trends that are disproportionately impacting young adults.

"At the young age of most college students, people are filtering through relationships at a faster rate," said Tiffani Kisler, one of the researchers who led the study. "People want to feel a sense of belonging, so they are sharing more of themselves with people they are still getting to know. Once they click that 'send' button, they don't know where else a message will wind up."

(Via Time magazine)