Everyone Is Showing Your Gross Sexts to Their Friends, Study Says

I once had an entire folder on my old iPhone called "Pokédix" wherein I kept all the dick pics I had received. Sometimes I showed this to friends, which is kind of awful, but so is sending someone a poorly shot photo of your genitals without warning or invitation. But I digress. I'm not alone in my questionable oversharing habits. According to a recent study, one in four sexts are shown to other people.

While you puzzle out in your head just how many nasty photos and blocks of painstakingly detailed written text you've sent that might have been shown to someone other than the intended viewer, it's important to note that this study was conducted using adults, not the teens so often targeted by anti-sexting PSAs. Researchers at Indiana University surveyed 5,805 single adults for the study, ranging in age from 21 to over 75 years old. Both sent and received photos, and texts were considered.

Let's break down just how sus ya'll are: According to the survey results, 23 percent of participants reported sharing photos with others. On average, sexts were shared with more than three friends. Also, some obligatory hypocrisy—73 percent of participants reported being uncomfortable with their own sexts being shared.

The tactfully worded conclusion of the study, which was sponsored by Match.com, really says it best, referencing a "contemporary struggle to reconcile digital eroticism with real-world consequences."

In these troubling contemporary times, it is important to never forget this proverb of unknown origins: Don't trust anyone.

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