Studies show that sexting among teens is the new normal. One half of teenagers admit to sexting and of the one half, one third admit to sending sexually explicit images.

Jeff Temple, of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, looked at data from several years of surveys that were filled out anonymously by local high school students. Temple found that sexting wasn’t associated with risky behaviors, but was more of an indicator of general sexual activity.

Temple looked at data collected in 2011 and 2012 before anonymous apps like Snapchat gained popularity, so these numbers could have changed since then.

Teenagers have been dating for many years, so what’s changed?

With almost all teenagers having a smartphone, the ways to communicate with peers are endless: texting messaging, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.  Having all of these platforms shows sexting among teens is the new normal.

The widespread of technology and applications have only made this problem become worse. Since last December 17 states have created laws regarding minors sending or receiving sexually explicit text messages. School districts, parents and police departments are also trying to deal with this epidemic.

In order to stop sexting among teens, they should be educated when getting a phone to prevent this from happening.  These numbers could potentially decrease if teens knew the consequences they could face from sexting.