“How Do [They] Even Do That?” Myths & Facts about the impact

of technology on the lives of American teens

Amanda Lenhart/Pew InternetHoltz Center for

Science & Technology StudiesApril 2011

Madison, WI

Methods

• 800 teens ages 12 to 17 and a parent or guardian were contacted by landline or cellular telephone in a nationally representative rdd survey conducted from June to September 2009.

• 9 focus groups in four cities with middle and high school aged teens (ages 12-18) conducted in June and October 2009

• Joint project of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and the University of Michigan.

• Data from adult surveys from Sept 2009 & January 2010

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Why is this important?

• Teens are like canaries…• …Their enthusiastic and often

transgressive use of technology highlights risks to all of us in our use of technology.

• Not short adults• Policy/legal interest

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How do they do that – or do they?

Commonly held beliefs about teens, young adults and technology:• Everyone uses the internet• Every teen has a cell phone…• … and all teens text unimaginably large numbers of messages a

day• Teens no longer call anyone on the phone• Parents and K-12 schools struggle with management of teens’

phones• Teens have been supplanted by older adults on social networks• Teens love Twitter• Young adults don’t care about privacy, particularly online• Teens are active creators of content online

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EVERYONE USES THE INTERNET

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EVERY TEEN & YOUNG ADULT HAS A CELL PHONE…

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…AND THEY SEND AND RECEIVE AN UNIMAGINABLY LARGE NUMBER OF TEXTS EVERY DAY.

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TEENS NO LONGER MAKE PHONE CALLS.

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Teens who pay for phone costs are more likely to do more with cell phone

PARENTS AND SCHOOLS STRUGGLE WITH MANAGEMENT OF TEENS’ CELL PHONES

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TEENS & YOUNG ADULTS HAVE BEEN SUPPLANTED BY OLDER ADULTS ON SOCIAL NETWORKS

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TEENS LOVE TWITTER

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Twitter

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YOUNG ADULTS DON’T CARE ABOUT THEIR PRIVACY, ESPECIALLY ONLINE

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Thinking about the ways you use social networking sites… Do you ever…

All SNS users 18-29 30-49 50+

Change the privacy settings for your profile to limit what you share with others online 65 71 62 52

Delete people from your network or friends’ list 56 64 52 42

Keep some people from seeing certain updates 52 58 52 36

Filter updates posted by some of your friends 41 44 43 27

Delete comments that others have made on your profile 36 47 29 24

Remove your name from photos that have been tagged to identify you 30 41 24 16

Post updates, comments, photos or videos that you later regret sharing 12 19 9 4

Social networking users are curators of content

TEENS CREATE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF CONTENT ONLINE

Final Thoughts

• Cell phones leap frog connectivity roadblocks for low income, minority teens and adults

• Teens and young adults are not monolithic – so a multi-pronged approach is prudent

• Changes suggest a move towards mobile…• …but teens and young adults do not always embrace the newest

thing• Young adults know that people are watching, and are increasingly

taking steps to manage their online reputations• Difficulties teens have with safety, privacy, audience management

are hard for adults, too.

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Amanda LenhartPew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Projecthttp://pewinternet.org@amanda_lenhart

photo by arcticpenguin