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Abstract
There is considerable concern about adolescents producing, consuming, and distributing sexual materials via mobile phone communication. The purpose of this study was to examine key aspects of peer influence and the peer context in relation to two such practices: sexting and mobile porn use. The results of a high-school survey study (N = 1,943) revealed that 6% of Flemish teens (11–20 years of age) have sent a sext, while 9% use mobile porn. Teens who were more popular with the other sex and with a greater need for popularity were more likely to report both behaviors. Boys' mobile porn use was also predicted by perceived peer pressure. Same-sex popularity was unrelated to boys' sexting behavior and mobile porn use; for girls, a negative relationship was found.
NOTES
Notes
1. We should note that this definition of sexting is a narrow definition of sexting. Broader definitions of sexting may also refer to the production and distribution of other contents (such as sexually suggestive texts or pornographic imagery in general) and to the production and distribution via other technologies (e.g., a webcam, the Internet) (CitationRingrose et al., 2012). In the current study, we chose to use a restrictive definition, as we are specifically interested in the active agency of adolescents who distribute self-produced sexual imagery of themselves via a mobile technology that allows easy, fast, and widespread distribution of this imagery, both mediated (by texting these images to one another) and face-to-face (teens sharing these images with co-present others).
2. In the remainder of this article, we sometimes use the terms “lower” and “higher” school track to refer to adolescents' place in the schooling system. This choice of words does not imply a value judgment on behalf of the authors, yet reflects society's judgment of the social standing that corresponds with the three types of school.