New figures released by the NSPCC show most believe the idea of sending indecent images via text to be harmful, but nearly six in 10 have not spoken to their children about the issue.
Three quarters of the 1,000 parents and carers questioned by the charity thought sexting is "always" harmful.
When asked if they had previously spoken to their children about the issue, 39 per cent said they had not but intended to while 19 per cent had not and did not intend to.
Rachel Aston from Mothers' Union told Premier's News Hour many are oblivious as to what's happening on a teenager's phone.
She said: "Parents might feel like they know what's going on with their children but the problem of sexting suggests perhaps they haven't got a grip on it."
She's encouraging parents to talk more to their children but also understand that relationships are formed differently to how they were a generation ago.
"Parents need to be talking about relationships but also understanding technology and how the two interface and understanding that they're perhaps inseparable sometimes," she said.
The most common worry amongst parents questioned in the survey was their child losing control of an image they'd sent.
Whilst most mums and dads believed their child had not sent an indecent image, around two fifths were concerned that they may be involved in sexting in the future.
Listen to Rachel Aston speaking to Premier's Antony Bushfield: