The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in London has just completed an in-depth study of the effects of sexting on children in general, and on young women in particular. The study has eight sobering conclusions on the impact of sexting on young people.

1. The Main Threat Is From Peers. Contrary to popular belief, teens are not most at risk from strangers but instead from people they know. In fact, the gravest threat is often posed by people who are "friends" on social media.

2. Sexting Is Often Coercive. That really shouldn't come as a shock to anyone who has followed this issue. What is interesting, however, is that researchers found that sexting covers a range of behaviors, from innocent flirtation to more threatening behaviors, including harassment, cyberbullying, stalking, sextortion, and even sexual assault.

Regardless of the actual percentage of teens who text, there's no question that at least some teens are doing so, and that the consequences can be severe. Two recent articles out of New York help illustrate the risks for exhibitionist teens.

According to the New York Post, a Bensonhurst, Brooklyn junior high school had the dubious honor of having the highest number of sexting-related suspensions during the 2010-2011 school year.

Records maintained by the New York Department of Education (which started keeping tabs on sexting offenses in June 2010) reveal that 32 kids at the Edward B. Shallow Junior High School were suspended last year for sext-related activity.

As legal experts point out, a school has limited ability to regulate behavior that takes place entirely off-campus, unless school officials discover sexting images or the activity interferes with the educational environment of the school.

What parents need to remember, however, is that in most states, sexting is still a violation of state and federal law. Three hundred and twenty miles northwest of Brooklyn, in Palmyra, NY, two teens are facing criminal charges for a sexting incident.

The Lebanon Daily News reports that an unnamed 17-year-old female is being charged with "open lewdness" for sending explicit photos to a 15-year-old boy. The male, who showed the photos to classmates at Palmyra Area High School, has been charged with "disorderly conduct."

Both are relatively minor charges and carry far lower penalties than for the production and distribution of child pornography.

An academic debate is brewing over the correct estimate for the percentage of teens who engage in the practice of "sexting," i.e., the use of cell phones to send nude or semi-nude photos of themselves or other underage individuals.

Last fall, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported that "just 2% of all teens ages 12-17 say they have sent a 'sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude photo or video' of themselves to someone else." That percentage, Pew said, had remained stable since a similar survey in 2009, and was markedly lower than initial survey estimates of 20%.

A recent joint survey by MTV and the Associated Press reports that one-third of teens ages 14-24 have sent or received a "sext" message.

Roughly half that number (15 percent) have taken naked photos or videos of themselves, and shared those photos with someone else. In ten percent of those cases, the photos or videos are being shared with someone that the teen only knows through online contact.