Sexting teens six times more likely to report having sex

Young teens who admit to receiving a sext are six times more likely to also report being sexually active, a new US study has found.

The study anonymously sampled more than 1,300 13- to 15-year-old students in Los Angeles.

The researchers also found young teens who sent more than 100 texts a day were more likely to report being sexually active.

The study contributes to an ongoing national conversation about whether sexually-explicit text messaging is a risk behaviour or just a technological expansion of normal teenage flirting.