Does country context matter? Investigating the predictors of teen sexting across Europe

The aim of this study was (a) to investigate which individual and country characteristics explain why adolescents engage in sexting and (b) whether individual predictors vary across countries. On the individual level, we investigated age, gender, sensation seeking, and frequency of internet use. On the country level, we investigated traditionalism, gross domestic product, and broadband penetration. The sample consisted of 14,946 adolescents (49.7% boys) aged 11 to 16 from 20 European countries. Using multilevel modeling, our findings indicate that age, sensation seeking, and frequency of internet use predicted sexting across all countries. The influence of gender varied across countries. Although country characteristics had no direct effect on adolescent sexting, traditionalism significantly predicted gender differences in sexting. In more traditional countries, gender differences were stronger with more boys than girls engaging in this behavior. In less traditional countries, these gender differences were less apparent or even reversed.