The Oxford English Dictionary added ‘sexting’ to its lexicon in 2010, defining it as ‘the sending of sexually explicit photographs or messages via mobile phone’. However, given the increasing impact of social technologies and shifting boundaries, as discussed earlier in Chapter 2, today the concept of sexting extends far beyond SMS messages and the use of mobile phones, and includes a large number of different media and devices. Hence, Ringrose et al (2012, p 9) define sexting as ‘sexually explicit content communicated via text messages, smartphones, or visual and Web 2.0 activities such as social networking sites’. To ensure compatibility with current and emerging technologies, we define sexting here as any sexually indicative artefact shared with or communicated to others, or any solicitation or encouragement for others to do so. In this definition, we have used the term ‘sexually indicative’ instead of ‘sexually explicit’ to better emphasise the semiotic and symbolic aspects of sexually toned sexting images. We must emphasise that taking, making, sharing and possessing indecent images and pseudo-photographs (images made by computer graphics or otherwise which appear to be or are similar to photographs) of people under 18 is illegal. To be clear, although ‘indecent’ is not defined in the UK legislation it includes penetrative and non-penetrative sexual activity; ‘making’ includes opening, accessing, downloading and storing online content; while ‘sharing’ includes texting, emailing, offering on a file-sharing platform, uploading to a site that other people have access to, displaying, and possessing with a view to distribute.

Sexting poses a range of problems and risks, and one of the most concerning aspects is the risk that shared images and sexts could be forwarded to an audience wider that the one originally intended by the producer of the sext. This can damage the person's image and lead to a host of problems including cyberbullying, sextortion (sexual extortion and exploitation) and pornography.

Although the exchange of self-produced sexually explicit images within the context of relationships or harassment cases is not a new phenomenon (Chalfen, 2009), digital and social media technologies have dramatically transformed its potential for replication and further distribution as well as its consequence for the person's image and identity.