Instead of playing a healthy game of “grab-ass” in the pool like WE used to, today’s teens use texting as foreplay, according to a new study.
The study, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that, contrary to public opinion, there is no direct link between sexting among teenagers and risky sexual behavior.
Rather, the study suggests that sexting is a sign of sexual development and, in some cases, sexual activity. Put simply, sexting has taken the place of fawning over each other in public, shared in-person goofy smiles, and using friends/acquaintances to make the other party jealous.
Andrea Miller, relationship expert and CEO of Your Tango, isn’t surprised by this new study. “Teenagers have always had a difficult time expressing themselves, which is why texting became popular in the first place,” she notes. “What concerns me is not that young adults are sexting, but that most of them are forgoing intimacy for the comfort of their smartphones, and that can have lasting implications on their relationships.”
