Objective: To investigate the relationship between peer group dynamics and Flemish teenagers’  engagement in sexting and mobile porn use.Design: Correlational study.Subjects and Setting: 1943 Flemish high school students (50.6% male, mean age 15.28) responded to questionnaires distributed at their schools. Interventioncontinued

Objective: To investigate the relationship between peer group dynamics and Flemish teenagers’  engagement in sexting and mobile porn use.

Design: Correlational study.

Subjects and Setting: 1943 Flemish high school students (50.6% male, mean age 15.28) responded to questionnaires distributed at their schools.
 
Intervention(s): N/A

Outcome Measure(s): Sexting (whether student had ever sexted), mobile porn use (whether porn was currently on student’s mobile phone), self-perceived same-sex and other-sex popularity, perceived peer pressure, need for popularity.

Results: 6.3% had sexted and 8.7% possessed mobile porn.  Boys were more likely to have sexted (p = 0.046) and 4.17 times more likely to have porn on their phones (p < 0.001).  Age was predictive of sexting among girls (p < 0.002), but not among boys.  Self-perceived popularity with the opposite sex and the need for popularity predicted sexting, but perceived peer pressure did not.  Self-perceived popularity with the same sex negatively predicted sexting among girls, but was not correlated with sexting among boys.  Mobile porn use was predicted among boys by self-perceived popularity with the opposite sex, a greater desire for popularity, and more perceived peer pressure.

Conclusion: This study suggests that peer group dynamics play a significant role in adolescents’ sexting and mobile porn use.  The authors recommend that practitioners keep peer dynamics and gender differences in mind when addressing the risks of sexting and mobile porn with adolescents. © Center on Media and Child Healthreturn