Though a lot of parents assume that their teenage children are wasting time online, the Pew research shows that more than half of the teenagers in the US have met new friends online, either through social networks or via video game forums.
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Six out of ten American teenagers said they have met at least one friend over the internet, with many saying they have deep and meaningful relationships through the online medium. However, for more than three-quarters (77%), meeting those friends in real-life doesn’t happen; just 20% have met those online friends in person and 3% have refused.
Online gaming has become the dominant social activity for boys: 84 percent of them engage in some type of online video game while only 59 percent of girls attend these sort of games.
This survey was conducted online by the German firm GfK Group using its KnowledgePanel of 1,060 teenagers, aged 13 to 17, and their parent or guardian. The perception has changed significantly in the past years with many more teens willing to make friends on the Internet. More than 60 percent of the teens said their social media username is one of the first three pieces of information they share with a new friend.
Girls more commonly meet friends on social media than boys (78 percent versus 52 percent), while the reverse is true for online gaming (57 percent for boys, 13 percent for girls). Sixty-eight percent say they have experienced drama with their friends on social media.
“We found the internet is really a critical part of how teens make and sustain friendship”, said Amanda Lenhart, associate director of research at Pew. Almost two-thirds (64 percent) say they’ve made a friend online via social media. More than half (55 percent) say they text their friends on a daily basis while 79 percent keep in touch with friends via instant messaging and 72 percent through social media though not necessarily on a daily basis.
Teenagers these days are more tech-savvy than ever, so it’s no surprise that many are forging new friendships not in the schoolyard or neighborhood – but on the Internet. This is admittedly anecdotal, but my kids are in much more frequent contact with their far-flung network of childhood friends than I was at their age. (I didn’t know teen friendships were so high-maintenance). That report challenged the notion about adult predators claiming to be fellow teens to ensnare youth.
The survey wasn’t all good news.
The teens described using social media to communicate different things than they would during a phone call or text.
3For some teens, there are downsides to social media.
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Additionally, teens often experience psychological pressure imposed by online communication as they feel like they have to post only content that makes them look good (40 percent) or be popular (39 percent).
