Sexting is not necessarily limited to at-risk teens, and is now considered a “normal” part of sexual development among adolescents, according to new research from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

The new study is the first to look at the relationship between sexting and future sexual behavior of teenagers.

Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or images through cell phones or instant messenger. Mobile phones now have the capability to record and send photos and video, making the practice of sending such explicit pictures much more common, especially among teenagers.

The ongoing six-year study looked at an ethically diverse group of adolescents from Southwest Texas. The teen participants periodically completed surveys that detail their sexting, sexual activity, and other behaviors.

Postdoctoral research fellow at UTMB, Hye Jeong Choi, and colleagues discovered that the odds of the teens being more sexually active as high school juniors was higher for those who sent explicit messages or images via cell phone compared to those who did not engage in sexting.

“Sending a nude photo may communicate to the recipient a level of openness to sexual activity, promote a belief that sex is expected, and serve to increase sexual advances, all of which may increase the chance of future sexual behavior. Sexting may serve as a gateway behavior to actual sexual behaviors or as a way to indicate one’s readiness to take intimacy to the next level,” said Choi in a statement.

The findings of the study are published in the journal Pediatrics.