The message was sent to one person. It did not stay with one person.
Literal meaning: Sexting describes the sending of sexually explicit images, video, or messages via digital communication — most commonly via smartphone. In the context of minors, it encompasses both peer-to-peer sexting between adolescents and the coerced production of sexual images by adults grooming children.
Origin: The term sexting entered media and policy discourse around 2009, as smartphones and social media made the exchange of intimate images among adolescents increasingly easy (Livingstone & Görzig, 2012). Early debates focused on the legal implications of youth-produced sexual content, since in many jurisdictions sexual images involving minors are classified as child sexual abuse material (CSAM), even when consensually shared between peers. As a result, adolescents could theoretically face criminal liability for producing or distributing intimate selfies.
Recent developments in generative AI have further complicated these debates. Research shows that adolescents increasingly engage in sexualised interactions with AI chatbots and image-generation tools, while platforms such as Grok have raised concerns about AI-generated deepfakes and non-consensual sexual imagery (“How chatbots perceive sexting by adolescents”; “Grok Is Pushing AI ‘Undressing’ Mainstream”).
A term covering both peer sexual communication among adolescents and coerced image production by adults — whose analytical usefulness depends on keeping those two things distinct.
The Appeal: Peer sexting between adolescents of similar ages is a documented feature of contemporary adolescent development — the digital equivalent of relationship behaviours that predate smartphones. Criminalising it as CSAM production does not align with its developmental context.
The Friction: The legal framework designed to protect children from adult exploitation can, when applied mechanically, criminalise the children it was designed to protect. Research by Livingstone and colleagues at the LSE (EU Kids Online project) has documented the prevalence of peer sexting among European adolescents and the contexts in which it occurs. Online Grooming is the serious risk vector: coerced sexting — adults manipulating children into producing images — is a distinct practice that requires the full force of child protection law. The conflation of these two practices in legal frameworks and public discourse produces harmful outcomes for adolescents prosecuted under frameworks designed for a different harm.
Why This Matters: Sexting makes visible the gap between legal frameworks designed for adult contexts and the digital realities of adolescent life. Once you distinguish peer sexting from coerced production, the policy question becomes more precise — and the harm to adolescents criminalised for the former becomes more visible.
Related terms: Online Grooming · Catfishing · Predatory Design · Roblox · Brussels Effect
Read more:
- ‘Sexting’: the exchange of sexual messages online among European youth — Livingstone, S. & Görzig, A. (2012). London School of Economics and Political Science
- Children, Risk and Safety on the Internet — Livingstone, S., Haddon, L. & Görzig, A. (2012). Policy Press
- How chatbots perceive sexting by adolescents — Aharoni, T., et al. (2024).
- Examining Conservative Attitudes in AI Conversations About Teen Sexting — Aharoni, T. & colleagues (2025).
- Actions Speak Louder Than Chats: Investigating AI Chatbot Age Gating — Lin, J., et al. (2026). arXiv
- Understanding Teen Overreliance on AI Companion Chatbots Through Self-Reported Reddit Narratives — Sharma, R., et al. (2025). arXiv
**Specific about Grok, AI-sexting en deepfakes:
- Teens are sexting with AI. Here’s what parents should know. — Harwell, D. (2025). The Washington Post
- Grok Is Pushing AI ‘Undressing’ Mainstream — Burgess, M. (2025). WIRED
- Hundreds of nonconsensual AI images being created by Grok on X, data shows — Milmo, D. (2026). The Guardian
- Expert Comment: Chatbot-driven sexual abuse? The Grok case is just the tip of the iceberg — University of Oxford (2026). Oxford News