"Sexting" among teenagers in the United States is more prevalent than previously thought, and most of them are unaware of its legal ramifications, according to a recent study.

Researchers from Drexel University in Pennsylvania surveyed about 200 students at a "large northeastern university." More than 50 percent of those surveyed reported that they had exchanged sexually explicit text messages, with or without photographic images, as minors, the Business Standard reported.

It was also found that more than 61 percent of those underage "sexters" were also not aware that many jurisdictions consider sexting among minors - particularly when it involves harassment or other aggravating factors - to be child pornography, a prosecutable offense.

"This is a scary and disturbing combination," David DeMatteo, lead author of the study and associate professor, said in a statement. "Given the harsh legal penalties sometimes associated with youth sexting and the apparent frequency with which youth are engaging in it, the lack of comprehension regarding such penalties poses a significant problem."

For the study, titled "Youth Sexting: Prevalence Rates, Driving Motivations, and the Deterrent Effect of Legal Consequences," researchers asked students to define sexting to "encompass the exchange of text messages that contained either wording or photographs that were sexual in nature," DeMatteo told Boston.com.

Based on the findings, the mean age of participants received their first text just shy of 16. When asked what participants thought was their appropriate age to send or receive sexts, responses were as low as 14 years old.

"I would think as the potential outlet for this type of behavior increases, and there's more advanced technology to use, there's reason to think that this type of behavior will escalate," DeMatteo said.

Researchers said the study also revealed revealed a significant relationship between awareness of legal consequences and sexting behavior as minors: Those who were aware of the potential legal consequences reported sexting as a minor significantly less than those who were not aware of the legal consequences.

Additionally, 59 percent of those who reported being unaware of the potential legal consequences of sexting expressed the belief that they may have been deterred from sexting as a minor if they had known.

The findings were recently reported in the journal Sexuality research and Social Policy.