Transcript Teens, Social Networks & Safety An Overview Amanda Lenhart Family Online Safety Institute Launch February 13, 2007 Washington, DC.

Teens, Social Networks & Safety
An Overview
Amanda Lenhart
Family Online Safety Institute Launch
February 13, 2007
Washington, DC
Methodology
• Interviewed 935 parent – child pairs in Oct-Nov
2006 & 1100 pairs in November 2004
• Teens ages 12-17
• Nationally representative sample
• Focus groups conducted in the summers of 2004
& 2006
• Building on previous survey work with teens and
parents in 2000
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Who is Online?
• 70% of American adults go online
• 93% of American teens ages 12 to 17 use
the internet
• 87% of all parents online
• 73% of all families have broadband @ home
• 68% of online Americans have home
broadband
• 7% of teens do not use the internet
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Content Creation
• 57% of online teens have created some kind of content online
• Includes
– Photos
– Video
– Writing, stories
– Artwork
– Songs, music
• 19% have a blog
• 38% read the blogs of others
• 76% of social network-using teens leave comments on the
blogs of friends
• Self-expression and feedback
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Connecting & Communicating
• 89% of online teens have ever sent or received
email
• 74% of online teens use instant messaging
• 45% of ALL teens have a cellular phone
• 38% of teens have sent a text message from a
cell phone
• Other activities of similar popularity –
**84% of online teens have visited websites
where they could learn more about movies, TV
shows, music groups or sports stars
**80% of online teens have played online games
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Social Networking Websites
• “Online Social Networks are web spaces where
individuals can post information about themselves,
usually by creating a profile or website, and where
they can connect with others in the same network.”
• Two main elements to social networking that relate
to its appeal to teens (and young adults)
– Connecting and communicating with others
– Content creation a.k.a. self-expression
• 55% of online teens use social networking websites
• 55% have a profile online
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Social Networking Websites - Basics
• Girls, particularly older girls, more likely to use
SNS than boys (70% of girls 15-17 have profile
online, compared to 57% of boys 15-17)
• Age is major factor
– 12 & 13 year-olds; 37% have an online profile
– 14 -17 year-olds; 63% have an online profile
• Other demographic factors not significant
– Income
– Race/ethnicity
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What are Teens Doing on SNS?
• Reinforcing pre-existing relationships
– 91% stay in touch with friends they see a lot
– 82% stay in touch with friends they rarely see
in person
• Meeting new people & flirting
– 49% make new friends
• (more for boys, less for girls)
– 17% flirt
• (mostly older boys – 29% of them flirt vs. 13% of
older girls)
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Communicating on SNS
• Making plans with friends
– 72% make plans with friends on SNS
• Sending messages
– 84% post message on friend’s wall or page
– 82% send private messages to a friend
– 76% post comments to a friend’s blog
– 61% send a bulletin or mass message to all
friends in the system
– 33% wink, poke, give e-props or kudos to
friends
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SNS and Protective Measures
• 66% of all teens with profiles online have in some
way restricted access to it
– includes hiding it completely
– taking it down
– making it private
• 77% of profile-owning teens have a currently visible
online profile
– Of those with a visible profile, 59% say only their
friends can see their profile.
– 40% say anyone can see profile
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Tensions in SNS Use
• Embodies tension in social networking sites
– Teens want to stay safe
– Want to connect with friends and with those
with similar interests
– People need to be able to find you to make
new connections
– Social networks ask for lots of personal
information when you create a profile
– Facilitates good and bad “findability”
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Protecting Teens Online
•
•
•
•
Filtering—54% of families filter
Public computing location—73%
House internet rules—64%
62% of parents….33% of teens say
they/their parents check up on teens after
they go online
• Filtering up, others stable
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Online Behavior: Parent & Teen Attitudes
• 81% of parents and 79% of teens agree
that kids are not as careful as they should
be about the information they give out
online
• 62% of parents and 62% of teens agree
that kids do things online that they
wouldn’t want their parents to know about
• Overall, most parents believe that the
internet is a good thing for their children
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Online Safety – Future Challenges
• Mobility
• Geography
• Nature of Teens
– looking for new things
– generational and personal separation from
elders
– risk-taking
• User – Generated Content
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Thank You
Amanda Lenhart
Pew Internet & American Life Project
http://www.pewinternet.org