danah boyd happened upon some really interesting research from Larry Rosen, a psychology professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills about parents, predators, teens and the truth about MySpace. The full report is here (.pdf). From the press release (.pdf):

MySpace and Sexual Predators:

- Only 7% of those teens interviewed were ever approached by anyone with a sexual intent and nearly all of them simply ignored the person and blocked him from their page.

- Two-thirds of the parents were sure that there were many sexual predators on MySpace, while only one-third of the teenagers shared this concern.

- When asked about media coverage, 66% of the parents felt that it was either understated or close to the truth.

- Conversely, 58% of the teens felt it was vastly overblown.

- Too much information: Nearly three-fourths of teens give out their school name, half give out their e-mail address and half give out information about activities they will be doing, including the location.

MySpace Usage By Teens

- Teenagers spend an average of 15 hours per week on MySpace. (WOW. It's like a part-time job)

- One in three admits their MySpace activity has negatively affected their schoolwork, family life, or both. (YIKES)

- However, while using MySpace teens find it easier to make friends, feel more honest and creative, and get emotional support from their “online friends.” (COOL) The typical MySpacer has 278 “online friends,” including 37 close friends, more than half of whom they have never met.

Parental Awareness of MySpace

- Only one-third of the parents have seen their child’s MySpace page and only 16% check it on a regular basis.

- However, 70% of the adolescents said they would feel comfortable with their parents looking at their MySpace page.

- 40% of the parents had never seen the photographs that their children posted on MySpace.

- Nearly half the parents claimed to have limits on their children’s MySpace use, but only 25% of teens said those limits were upheld.

- 43% of parents are not sure about how many days per week their child is on MySpace and 36% are not sure about how many hours per day they spend there.

- Half the parents admit that their child uses the Internet from their bedroom rather than a location where the parent can supervise.

The parental awareness stuff doesn't surprise me at all. I'm glad I haven't turned in my manuscript yet -- good stuff to add!

Posted by anastasia