Teens and Social Media: An Overview

Annotation

This nationally representative sample of 935 teens age 12 to 17 years old and parents was conducted as a telephone survey in late 2006. It found that 93% of teens use the Internet and frequently for social interaction with 64% of them creating some online content, up from 57% two years previous. (That is not as high of growth as I would have expected.) Additionally, 55% have created a profile on a social networking site such as Facebook or MySpace. Interestingly, teens tend to be slightly more protective of their privacy by restricting access to online content more frequently than adults but are much more likely to communicate using online tools other than email.

Other research indicates that online social sites hold great potential for moving teaching/learning in a more constructivist direction. This research confirms the notion that teens are cognitively ready for such a move.

Lenhart, A., & Madden, M. (2007). Teens and Social Media: An Overview. Washington, D.C.: Pew Interent & American Life Project. Retrieved June 26, 2009, from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2007/Teens-and-Social-Media.aspx.