Selected news stories about the Pew Internet Project and articles citing our data.
Teens opt to guard privacy on Web
1/8/2007 | 
Coverage
Chris Cobbs, Orlando Sentinel, News
'"Teens may be looking for new friends or searching for their identity. They may want to assert their independence, or maybe just flirt.
Their reasons vary, but more than half of the nation's online youth ages 12 to 17 are connecting with one another via the Web, says a new report on social-networking sites such as MySpace.
And, mindful of crimes by cyber predators, most of those teens are also using privacy settings intended to block outsiders, according to the study released today by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, a Washington research group.
The report, "Social Networking Websites and Teens: An Overview," found that 55 percent of online teens have used networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook.
But about two-thirds of those surveyed guard access to their MySpace profiles so only friends can view their photos and personal information, said Amanda Lenhart, the study's co-author.
"Teen girls are very aware of safety issues," she said. "You never know if you are talking to a 40-year-old man or a creepy predator."
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