Sexting is the new "first base" and could lead to increased sexual behavior among teens, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston suggest that sexting may be the new "normal" part of adolescent sexual development and is not strictly limited to at-risk teens. The study results indicate that sexting may precede sexual intercourse in some cases and further cements the idea that sexting behavior is a credible sign of teenage sexual activity.

"Sexting may be associated with other typical adolescent behaviors such as substance use. Sexting is not associated with either good or poor mental wellbeing," researcher Jeff Temple, an associate professor and psychologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch, said in a statement. "Despite this growing body of knowledge, all existing sexting research looks across samples of different groups of young people at one time, rather than following the same people over time. Because of this, it's unclear whether sexting comes before or after someone engages in sexual activity."

The findings detailed in this paper are part of an ongoing six-year investigation of an ethnically diverse group of adolescent students from Southeast Texas, led by Temple. The teens in the study periodically complete anonymous surveys detailing their history of sexting, sexual activity, and other behaviors throughout the six years.

For the study, researchers examined data from the second and third years of their study to determine whether teen sexting predicted sexual activity one year later.

They found that the odds of being sexually active as high school juniors was slightly higher for youth who sent a sext, or naked picture of themselves, the previous year, compared to teens who did not sext. They did not find sexting to be linked with later risky sexual behaviors.

This study is also among the first to consider the differences between actively sending a nude picture versus asking or being asked for a nude picture. They found that actually sending a sext was the important part of the link between sexting and sexual behavior, as opposed to merely asking or being asked for a nude picture.

"Being a passive recipient of or asking for a sext does not likely require the same level of comfort with one's sexuality," researcher Hye Jeong Choi said in a statement. "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."

The findings were published in the journal Pediatrics.