The use of smartphones increases the likelihood of sex among teenagers, reveals a new study.
According to a research carried out by University of Southern California (USC), teenagers with internet access on their smartphones are 1.5 times more likely to have sex than those without cell phones. They are also more likely to engage themselves in sexual encounters with people they meet online.
"Young people with smartphones are 1.5 times as likely to report being sexually active, almost two times as likely to have been approached online for sex, and more than twice as likely to engage in sex with an Internet-met partner compared with those who do not access the internet on their cell phones," said the American Public Health Association (APHA).
The research presented at APHA's annual meeting in San Francisco on Tuesday revealed its results after surveying 1,839 high school students of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Among the respondents, five percent of teens reportedly use internet to find sex partners and 17 percent were found to have been approached for sex by strangers. The survey also revealed that the teen, who solicited to online sex, are more prone to have unprotected sex.
"We-parents, health educators, physicians-must recognize that cell phones are yet another new way for adolescents to meet sex partners," said Hailey Winetrobe, health researcher at USC.
The research did not specify the type of device teens generally use but claimed that non-heterosexual teens are more viable to seek sex partners online than heterosexuals.
"Parents and school health professionals should talk to their teens about being safe in meeting people online and in using condoms to prevent sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies," said Winetrobe.
Earlier in February, a research conducted by Match.com among 1,068 Canadian singles revealed that Android users are more likely to have sex on the first date than people using iPhones.
