Youth & Social Media:Recent Research Findings

Dr. Alice E. MarwickPostdoctoral Researcher

Microsoft Research New England

Flickr: loop_ohhttp://bit.ly/teenprivacy

Flickr: Luke Brassardhttp://bit.ly/teenprivacy

Flickr: ATENCIONhttp://bit.ly/teenprivacy

Structural Strategies

http://bit.ly/teenprivacy Flickr: CAA Photography

Social Strategies

http://bit.ly/teenprivacy Flickr: AustinHK

http://bit.ly/teendrama Flickr: dharmasphere

The Five Points of Drama

• Social• Relational conflict• Reciprocal• Gendered• Performed in, for, and

magnified by networked publics

http://bit.ly/teendrama

danah: How big of an issue is bullying at your school?Chloe, 15 Atlanta: Not big, because we’re a Christian school, so our teachers always tell us to be nice to each other and stuff, and no one’s ever mean to anyone. Or unless says something to someone on accident. They’re, like, “Oh, I’m so sorry,” and you know. danah: Is there ever issues with rumors spreading?Chloe: Oh, yeah, all the time. danah: How does that play out?Chloe: Well, someone starts a rumor and then someone else finds out and they’re like-- and they, everyone just changes the story around. And once it gets around to the person that it’s about, they hate this person. It’s just…Vicki, 15, Atlanta: Whoever started it. Chloe: A bunch of gossip, yeah.

http://bit.ly/teendrama Flickr: gabrielsaldana

Flickr: Katyanahttp://bit.ly/teendrama

COPPA

• COPPA: regulates data collection from under-13s (requires parental permission)

• Social media sites: respond by limiting access to over-13s

• Studies show many under-13s on social media• What are parents’ roles? What explains these

contradictions?

http://bit.ly/COPPAstudy

Findings• Half (55%) of parents of 12-year-olds report their child has

a Facebook account, and most (82%) of these parents knew when their child signed up. Most (76%) also assisted their 12-year old in creating the account.

• A third (36%) of all parents surveyed reported that their child joined Facebook before the age of 13, and two-thirds of them (68%) helped their child create the account.

• Half (53%) of parents surveyed think Facebook has a minimum age and a third (35%) of these parents think that this is a recommendation and not a requirement.

• Most (78%) parents think it is acceptable for their child to violate minimum age restrictions on online services.

http://bit.ly/COPPAstudy

Implications

• Parents concerned about privacy/safety• Don’t want children’s access restricted• Difficult for tech companies to implement

parental permission requirements• COPPA doesn’t take social media into account• Need to rethink in current climate

http://bit.ly/COPPAstudy

THANKS!This research was done in collaboration with danah boyd.http://bit.ly/teenprivacyhttp://bit.ly/teendramahttp://bit.ly/coppastudy

Socialmediacollective.orgamarwick@microsoft.com

Flickr: Feuillu