Several studies have linked sexting with actual sex, and a new study by Dr. Jeff Temple, an associate professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch, confirms much of what we already know.

According to Temple’s study, teens who sent sexts were 10 times more likely to have sex soon. Those who simply received a sext weren’t nearly as prone to have sex, but they were then 5.3 times more likely to send a sext.

Temple said sexting teens were not more prone to engage in risky sex, though: There was not a big uptick in unprotected sex or teens having multiple partners among sexters. “That was surprising, but it might mean sexting is not limited to just at-risk kids,” Temple said. “Sexting may be becoming part of sexual development and therefore it involves a cross section of all adolescents.”

Those findings may echo what was found in a recent Pew survey, which found that 44 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds had received a sext, and 15 percent admitted to sending one. That’s nearly double what Pew found two years earlier, when just 26 percent of those young adults said they’d received a sext. (New York Daily News, Time)

SEE ALSO::

Sexting is the New Norm for Teenagers Growing Up
Sexting is becoming the new first step to sexual activity for adolescents, a new study suggests. Research conducted in Texas found sexting, defined as “sending sexually explicit pictures or asking to receive one,” is becoming a part of growing up for some teenagers before they become sexually active. (The Independent)

Yes, Even Your Child
New study shows sexting is the new first base. But don’t panic yet. (Washington Post, Amy Joyce)

Maybe Sexting Is How Teenagers Will Learn About Consent (Slate, Amanda Marcotte)

Why Kids Sext (The Atlantic, Hanna Rosin)

Paul Asay has written for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He recently collaborated with Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, on his book The Good Dad. He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and his two children. Check out his entertainment blog at Patheos.com; follow him on Twitter.