Social Networking Websites and Teens: Key Findings from the Pew Internet Project
The latest report from the Pew Internet Project indicates that more than half of all online Americans ages 12-17 use social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. These sites are used as public and private communications tools to maintain and manage current and new friendships. According to the report, these sites “have rocketed from a niche activity into a phenomenon that engages tens of millions of internet users.” The report is based on a telephone survey of 935 American teenagers in 2006.
Key findings from the report include:
- 55% of online teens have created a personal profile online, and 55% have used social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook.
- 66% of teens who have created a profile say that their profile is not visible to all internet users. They limit access to their profiles.
- 48% of teens visit social networking websites daily or more often; 26% visit once a day, 22% visit several times a day.
- Older girls ages 15-17 are more likely to have used social networking sites and created online profiles; 70% of older girls have used an online social network compared with 54% of older boys, and 70% of older girls have created an online profile, while only 57% of older boys have done so.
(From: Social Networking Websites and Teens, PEW Internet & American Life Project, 2007)
The report is available at: Pew Internet & American Life Project, www.pewinternet.org.
Related reports from the Pew Internet & American Life Project include:
Teen Content Creators and Consumers (2005)
Teens and Technology: Youth are Leading the Transition to a Fully Wired and Mobile Nation (2005)