2007-01-06-皮尤-Social_Networking_Websites_and_Teens_10页_106kb

Social Networking Websites and Teens Overview (January 3, 2007)

Summary of Key Findings:

1. Usage Statistics:

   • 55% of online American teens aged 12–17 (total 935 surveyed) used social networking sites, with older teens (especially girls) being more engaged.
   • 55% of online teens created online profiles; older girls (70%) were more likely to use profiles than older boys (57%).

2. Primary Platform:

   • Myspace was the dominant platform (85% of users), followed by Facebook (7%). Girls favored Facebook more, while boys preferred Myspace.

3. Frequency of Use:

   • 48% of teen users visited social networking sites daily or more often.
   • Visits were more frequent among home internet users compared to school users.

4. Profile Privacy:

   • 77% of users with profiles limited access, making their profiles visible only to friends (59%) or anyone (40%).

5. Purpose and Usage:

   • Key activities: Staying in touch with friends (91% frequent, 82% rare), making plans (72%), and making new friends (49%).
   • Boys used sites more for flirting and making new friends compared to girls (older boys: flirting up to 29%, girls: 13%).

6. Data Source:

   • Conducted between October 23–November 19, 2006 via telephone interviews with a national sample of teens and parents.
   • Margin of error: ±3–4% depending on the analysis.

Conclusions

The study highlights both the widespread adoption of social networking by teens (55% of online teens) and notable differences in usage patterns by age and gender, especially between older girls and boys. Privacy settings and communication tools were commonly utilized, reflecting concerns about safety and identity management.