Sexting and Relationship Satisfaction Among Emerging Adults: Dispelling the Myth

Despite suggestions that sexting could be used to enhance relationship satisfaction, there is limited research exploring the impact of sexting on improving relationship satisfaction among emerging adults. This study included 348 Australian adults aged 18 to 25 years (M = 19.84, SD = 1.45, 14.1% men, 85.9% women), who reported being in a relationship, and completed an online questionnaire measuring general sexting behaviours, relationship satisfaction, and level of commitment. A strong positive correlation was found between level of commitment and relationship satisfaction. However, participants who sent image-based sexts to their partners were no more satisfied in or committed to their relationships than those who did not send their partners sexts. Participants who were younger and more committed to their relationship tended to express greater relationship satisfaction, with sexting making no significant contribution to the model. This study confirms that commitment is an important factor in relationship satisfaction among emerging adults, whilst partner-sexting is not associated with relationship quality. As such, media reports may overestimate potential benefits of sexting, with no support in empirical findings.