Report: 'Sexting' on the rise

Sexting is on the rise, according to a report released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center.

The survey found the proportion of those who reported getting dirty digitally rose 3 percent from the year before to encompass 9 percent of adult cell phone owners. Twenty percent of adult cell owners said they'd been on the receiving end of at least one sext, up from 15 percent in 2012.

The report, "Couples, the Internet and Social Media," further found the impact of technology on committed couples to be a mixed bag. Twenty-seven percent of married or partnered adults said the internet affected their relationships. That figure rose to 45 percent among those aged 18 to 29.

Forty-one percent of 18- to 29-year-olds in serious relationships said they'd felt closer to their partners because of conversations had via text or online, compared with 25 percent of adults, overall.

While young adults were more likely to feel closer to their significant others due to digital communication, those in the same demographic were also more likely to report technology caused tension in their relationships.

Eighteen percent of 18- to 29-year-olds said they'd argued with a partner about the amount of time spent online, compared with 8 percent of coupled adults, overall. Eight percent of young adults said they'd been upset by something their partner did online, compared with 4 percent of respondents, overall.

Adults in longer term relationships tended to show different patterns of technology use, the survey found. Those coupled for less than a decade were more likely to have used the internet to meet their spouse and to bolster logistics and communication with their loved ones. Those in relationships for more than 10 years were more likely to share email accounts and social media profiles with their significant others.

The report noted some of the difference could be explained by timing, as technology 10 years ago was "squarely in the pre-Facebook, pre-smartphone era."

"Those who were already together as a couple at the advent of a new platform or technology were a bit more likely to jump on together, as a unit," the report continued, "while those who begin relationships with their own existing accounts and profiles tend to continue to use them separately as individuals."