Just how many teens engage in sexting? More than you might expect. According to a new study from Drexel University, more than half (54 percent) of the youth polled for the study had sent sexually suggestive messages or photos before they turned 18.

This is a way higher rate than previous studies have found, when around one-fifth of respondents reported sexting. Researchers say the study’s anonymity might’ve encouraged people to be more honest about their sexting behavior, but respondents also were able to define sexting for themselves. Some lumped flirty texts (“I think you’re hot”) with more graphic forms of sexting.

“We were shocked by the prevalence and the frequency of sexting among minors,” said study author David DeMatteo, an associate professor of psychology and law at Drexel.

Most respondents were between the ages of 16 and 17 when they sexted, and almost everyone saw it as a normal part of dating. (Time)

Paul Asay has written for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for PluggedIn and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He recently collaborated with Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, on his book The Good Dad. He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.