The Pew Research Center recently conducted a survey of 802 teens that examined teens’ privacy management on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Their summary of findings show a different approach to privacy than what was discovered in similar surveys conducted in 2006 and 2011. Here are some key highlights of that study that are worth noting:
Teens are sharing more personal information than they did when surveyed back in 2006.
- 91% post a photo of themselves, up from 79%.
- 71% post their school name, up from 49%.
- 71% post the city or town where they live, up from 61%.
- 53% post their email address, up from 29%.
- 20% post their cell phone number, up from 2%.
Twitter enthusiasm is up, Facebook not so much.
- Teen Twitter use is at about 24% of online teens, up from 16% in 2011.
- Many teens show waning interest in Facebook but feel the need to stay to not feel socially alienated.
Teens are more consciously aware of privacy settings.
- 60% of teen Facebook users keep their profiles private, and most report high levels of confidence in their ability to manage their settings.
- 74% of teen social media users have deleted people from their network or friends list.
Here is a concise look at what teens are sharing on their social networks today:
A deeper look at specific content shared as categorized by age and gender:
Download the full report from Pew Research Center.
About Survey:
These findings are based on a nationally representative phone survey run by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project of 802 parents and their 802 teens ages 12-17. It was conducted between July 26 and September 30, 2012. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cell phones. The margin of error for the full sample is ± 4.5 percentage points.
This report marries that data with insights and quotes from in-person focus groups conducted by the Youth and Media team at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University beginning in February 2013. The focus groups focused on privacy and digital media, with special emphasis on social media sites. The team conducted 24 focus group interviews with 156 students across the greater Boston area, Los Angeles (California), Santa Barbara (California), and Greensboro (North Carolina). Each focus group lasted 90 minutes, including a 15-minute questionnaire completed prior to starting the interview, consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions and 1 open-ended response. Although the research sample was not designed to constitute representative cross-sections of particular population(s), the sample includes participants from diverse ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds. Participants ranged in age from 11 to 19. The mean age of participants is 14.5.
In addition, two online focus groups of teenagers ages 12-17 were conducted by the Pew Internet Project from June 20-27, 2012 to help inform the survey design. The first focus group was with 11 middle schoolers ages 12-14, and the second group was with nine high schoolers ages 14-17. Each group was mixed gender, with some racial, socio-economic, and regional diversity. The groups were conducted as an asynchronous threaded discussion over three days using an online platform and the participants were asked to log in twice per day.
Throughout this report, this focus group material is highlighted in several ways. Pew’s online focus group quotes are interspersed with relevant statistics from the survey in order to illustrate findings that were echoed in the focus groups or to provide additional context to the data. In addition, at several points, there are extensive excerpts boxed off as standalone text boxes that elaborate on a number of important themes that emerged from the in-person focus groups conducted by the Berkman Center.
About Ryan Lee
Ryan Lee is a Gates Millennium Scholar currently studying at Boston College. With interests in psychology and computer science, Ryan is most focused in finding ways of facilitating efficient learning with the technology available today. He is most excited to bring ed tech stories to you as they come and is looking forward to contributing his all to EdTech Times. Fun fact: Ryan is an avid runner and recently kicked off his marathoning career with the 2013 Boston Marathon!