Nearly 40 percent of Generation Z are sexting: study

Sexting has become a major part of people's relationships, according to a new survey. (iStock)

Start spreading the nudes!

When it comes to sending intimate photos, Gen Z is leading the charge, with nearly 40 percent of youngsters ages 18 to 22 sending off a naked pic of themselves.

The salacious stat comes from the ninth annual “Singles in America” study conducted by Match — corporate parent of dating apps Tinder and OkCupid.

Researchers quizzed more than 5,000 single men and women around the country about their sexting habits and found that Americans of all ages are partial to sending a pervy pic every now and again.

The youngest Americans weren’t the only ones into sexting. Millennials sent out nearly as many nudes, with 37 percent of adults ages 23 to 38 saying they’ve sent someone a dirty picture of themselves.

As for Gen X, who are in their 40s and early 50s, only about a quarter reported sexting. Meanwhile, 11 percent of Baby Boomers say they’ve been practicing free love digitally.

Even 3 percent of the Greatest Generation — those older than 74 — report that they are familiar enough with technology to have tried their hand at sending a sext.

When it comes to receiving nude photos, however, the numbers spike. Fifty-two percent of Gen Z singles and 51 percent of millennials report getting sexy pics, while 42 percent of Gen Xers and 20 percent of Boomers have gotten in on the action.

Twelve percent of singles in the Greatest Generation have gotten nudes, according to the survey.

“We’re in an interesting time where we’re seeing online websites and apps become the most popular ways for people to meet dates. And it’s increasingly becoming a part of our sexual lives,” said Dr. Justin Garcia, scientific adviser to Match and research director of the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University.

The study also found a difference between the sexes when it comes to sexting.

More female respondents than males said they were asked to send nudes by their partner, 44 percent to 39 percent.

But a full 33 percent of male respondents actually sent out a pic of their junk, compared to only 22 percent of women.

Gen Zers, meanwhile, said Snapchat was their app of choice. In fact, 59 percent of Gen Z singles who fessed up to having sent sexually explicit content did so on the disappearing-picture app.

Older generations, meanwhile, are partial to more standard methods, with 68 percent of raunchy material sent by older singles being transmitted via text.

Nearly 40 percent of men claim to have been asked to send out crotch shots, with 54 percent of Gen Zers reporting having been asked to do their best Anthony Wiener impression.

The phallic photo requests dipped sharply as the respondents’ ages increased, with 20 percent of Boomers saying they’ve been solicited and 11 percent of old-timers getting an X-rated request.

With the sending of nudes becoming more and more common, Americans have apparently become less precious about keeping them private. One in four Gen Zers admitted to having shared a nude photo they received with other people, while one in five millennials admitted to the same.

This story originally appeared in the New York Post.