Most Teens say they've met strangers online!
A strong majority (71%) of 13-17s have established an online profile, up from 61% in 2006.
Nearly half (47%) have an Internet profile that is public and viewable by anyone.
38% of younger teens (13-15) have a public profile.
60% of older teens (16-17) have a public profile.
Nearly two-thirds of teens (64%) post photos or videos of themselves online.
Half or more teens post information online about the city where they live (58%) and the name of their school (49%).
Nearly one in 10 teens (8%) have posted their cell phone number
A majority (58%) said they do not think posting personal information and photos on public networking sites is unsafe.
Fully 47% said they are not worried about other people using their personal online information in ways they don’t want them to (down from 57% in ’06).
Half (49%) reported they are unconcerned that posting personal information online might negatively affect their future.
Parental awareness about teens’ online activities has risen significantly since ’06.
Only about one-fourth of teens (25%) said their parents know “little” or “nothing” about what they do online (down from 33%).
Fully 41% said their parents have talked to them “a lot” about Internet safety (up from 36%).
Family discussions have been positive for teens—more of those who said their parents have talked to them “a lot” reported:
Greater concerns about online safety and sharing of personal information and photos.
More limited sharing of information/pictures via the Internet.
Lower incidence of public online profiles.
Lower incidence of talking to or meeting with people they only know from online.
Personal email and IM screen-names remain commonplace for teens.
Cell phone penetration among 13-17s has increased significantly since 2006, up to 71% from 63%.
An alarming percentage of teens reported they post information online about the city where they live (58%) and the name of their school (49%).
Percentages were significantly higher among older teens (70% and 64%, respectively).
Nearly two-thirds (64%) post photos or videos of themselves.
Girls and older teens, in particular, said they have uploaded personal pictures to the Internet.
One-fourth of teens reported posting a fake age online.
Nearly one in 10 teens (8%) have posted their cell phone number.
It remains routine for young people to receive personal messages online from someone they don’t know (69%).
Nearly one out of five teens (19%) report they’ve been harassed or bullied online.
However, more teens in 2007 are keeping their keyboards between themselves and those they don’t know.
16% said they’ve considered meeting someone they’ve only talked to online (down from 30% in ’06).
8% have actually met someone they only knew online (down from 14% in ’06).
Compared to teens without profiles on social networking sites, more 13-17s who have public profiles on sites such as MySpace, Friendster, and Xanga have:
Received personal messages from someone they don’t know.
Been harassed or bullied online.
Considered meeting people they’ve only talked to online.
Actually met someone they’ve only talked to via the Internet
Though teens may not tell adults or others when they receive online messages from someone they don’t know, more of them said they usually opt to ignore these messages, compared to 2006.
Only respond to ask who the person is: down to 60% from 72%.
Ignore messages: up to 57% from 47%.
Reply and chat: down to 31% from 40%.
More girls and younger teens—who also tend to be the most victimized online—remain cautious
about talking to someone they don’t know, either by ignoring them, blocking them, or telling adults.
Though concerned about talking to people they don’t know on the Internet, teens appear to be less worried when it comes to posting information about themselves online.
About 21% said that it is safe to post personal information, including photos, online.
Only 28% of teens with a public profile said posting information was unsafe; yet 53% of those without a profile said posting information was unsafe.
Nearly half of teens (47%) said they are not concerned about other people using personal information posted online in ways they don’t want them to (vs. 37% in ’06).
Though more younger respondents and girls reported some degree of concern, the unconcerned among these groups rose nine to 12 points in the past year.
Fully 49% of teens said they were unconcerned that posting personal information online might impact their future in undesired ways.
Fewer than one out of four (22%) said they were “very” or “extremely concerned.”
More girls than boys reported concerns (26% vs. 19%).
More 13-15s than 16-17s reported concerns (25% vs. 19
Though one out of five teens (18%) said their parents have never talked to them about Internet safety, 41% report that their parents have talked to them “a lot” (up from 36% in ’06).
Nearly two-thirds of 13-17s who have not discussed child Internet safety with family members said they were unconcerned about posting information online and unworried about potential negative effects posting may have on their future.
More teens whose parents have talked to them “a lot” about Internet safety said they were “very” or “extremely concerned” about others using their information in ways they don’t want (32% vs. 13% whose parents had not talked to them) or about potential negative effects on their future (34% vs. 16% whose parents had not talked to them). [not charted]
Among teens whose parents have talked to them a lot about child internet safety, only about 39% reported that they have a public profile on a social networking site.
58% of 13-17s whose parents have not spoken with them said they have a public profile.
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Here are the latest stats from surveys taking from Cox Communications and Tru.
Although the number have improved in most categories these numbers are staggering.We must continue to learn and educate our children so the internet no longer is a safe haven for internet predators.
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