Indeed, 22 percent of teenage girls -- and 11 percent of teen girls ages 13-16 -- admitted they have electronically sent, or posted online, nude or seminude images of themselves. The survey also reveals that these racy images are getting passed around. Thirty-three percent of teen boys and 25 percent of teen girls say they have had nude/seminude images -- originally meant to be private -- shared with them.

"Teenagers are early adopters of technology -- from the latest social-networking sites to the hottest new cell phones," said Susan Schulz, special projects editor at Hearst Magazines. "While this tech savvy can be seen as a positive, our study reveals there's also a negative side. Teenagers should be aware of the real consequences to this type of behavior, and we need to provide them with guidance and encourage them to make smart choices."

Troubling Results for Parents

The survey results also reveal that 15 percent of teens who have sent sexually suggestive content such as text messages, e-mail, photographs or video say they have done so with someone they know only online. And it's not just teen girls sharing the explicit images and words. Eighteen percent of teenage boys also admitted they have sent or posted nude/seminude images of themselves. Thirty-three percent -- 36 percent of women and 31 percent of men ages 20-26 -- say they have sent or posted such images.

In what could be troubling results for parents, the survey suggests what teens and young adults are doing electronically may influence how they behave in real life. Twenty-two percent of teens admit that technology makes them personally more forward and aggressive, and 38 percent admitted that exchanging sexy content makes dating or hooking up with others more likely. Twenty-nine percent, meanwhile, believe those exchanging sexy content are "expected" to date or hook up.

Even though nearly three-quarters of young people acknowledged that sending sexually suggestive content "can have serious negative consequences," nearly one-quarter say sending sexually suggestive content is "no big deal."

A Rising Teen Birth Rate

"Apparently what's happening in cyberspace isn't necessarily staying in cyberspace," said Bill Albert, chief program officer at the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "This nation has made extraordinary progress in reducing high rates of teen pregnancy. But most recently, we've seen an uptick in the teen birth rate, the first increase in 15 years. Anything that links teens to a more casual hookup culture is of concern to both parents and to an organization like ours."

In other survey findings, sending sexually suggestive messages is even more prevalent than sending nude/seminude images. Nearly half of young people admitted they have sent sexually suggestive text messages or e-mail messages to someone. Even more have received sexually suggestive messages: 48 percent of teens and 64 percent of young adults. A full one-third of young teen girls (ages 13-16) have received sexually suggestive messages.

Teen girls who have sent or posted sexually suggestive content provide a number of reasons why: Two-thirds say they did so to be "fun or flirtatious," half did so as a "sexy present" for their boyfriend, and 40 percent as a "joke."