When photo-sharing app Snapchat hit the peak of its popularity, it was known mainly as a foolproof way of sending sexy texts. If you sent a naughty / nude photo to someone, it would delete itself within five seconds, and you were in the clear (unless, of course, the receiving end learned how to screenshot). However, a new study now shows that sexting via Snapchat may not be as common as we once thought.
According to a study out of the University of Washington, Snapchat users aged 18 and over are mainly using the app as a way of sharing funny content. The study surveyed 127 adult Snapchat users and discovered that sixty percent were using it strictly to share funny photos. The second most popular types of photos shared were, of course, selfies.
As expected, some did use the app for X-rated pictures. Fourteen percent of the surveyed population admitted to previously sending sexts via Snapchat. However, the people who still do so regularly clocked in at slightly less than two percent…not quite the percentage many of us suspected. The study concluded that the main use of the app is based on the concept of sending funny texts rather than it’s previously assumed appeal of sending self-destructing racy texts.
Although this study shows us how adults use the app, the information may actually be skewed. Snapchat has around 82 million active users who are mainly between the ages of 13 and 25. Thus, the University of Washington study collected a very small sample size in comparison to the amount of users present, and focused on adults rather than the app's key demographic.
If you do send inappropriate texts through Snapchat, just make sure you remember that the app is not without consequences. Granted, it has a handy self-destructing feature, but any use with quick hands can screenshot the photo in a second. Always think before you sext!
[via Huffington Post]
