The latest Pew Internet & American Life Project report is out on teens and social media -- there are no real surprises here, just solid data that backs up what we all know. For example:

Girls dominate "content creation" when it comes to blogs, photos and social networking and boys dominate when it comes to shooting and uploading video. This makes sense since girls are much more into socializing and staying connected 24/7, etc. Most of this content is about keeping that conversation going vs. blogging about politics or art. That said, I was happy to see that:

- 39% of online teens share their own artistic creations online such as artwork, photos stories, or videos

- 33% of online teens create or work on webpages or blogs for others, including friends, groups they belong to or school assignments

- 28% of online teens have created their own blog, up from 19% in 2004, and almost completely driven by the popularity of blogging among girls

- 27% of online teens maintain their own webpage 26% of online teens remix content they find online into their own creations

- Some 35% of all teen girls blog, compared with 20% of online boys, and 54% of wired girls post photos online compared with 40% of online boys

- Boys, however, do dominate one area - posting of video content online - online teen boys are nearly twice as likely as online girls (19% vs. 10%) to have posted a video online somewhere where someone else could see it

All of the above efforts build skills essential for tomorrow's workforce. Oh and you can now up the 2004 stat of teens being content creators from 57 percent of online teens to 64 percent.

They are creating content for an audience, i.e. the validation factor. In my Totally Wired talk I discuss teens' core need of seeking attention and validation, which they get online through comments.

- Nearly half (47%) of online teens have posted photos where others can see them

- 89% of those teens who post photos say that people comment on the images at least "some of the time."

- Teens who post videos report a similarly large incidence of feedback, with nearly three quarters (72%) of video posters receiving comments on their videos.

Yet, they are picky about who they want validation from, i.e. mostly from their friends (at least when it comes to profiles/photos).

Some 66% of teens with social network profiles restrict access to their profiles in some way and 77% of teens who upload photos restrict access to them at least "some of the time."

- In contrast, 58% of adults who post photos restrict access to them in some way.

- A smaller percentage of teens who upload videos (54%) restrict access to them.

Pew also validates the notion that social media is replacing email as teens' primary form of communication and that in fact, many teens have several digital ways to stay connected a la the multi-channel teens:

- 70% talk daily with friends on a cell phone

- 60% send text messages daily

- 54% instant message

- 47% send messages daily over social network sites

- 46% talk to friends on a landline phone

- 35% spend time with friends in person daily

- 22% send email every day to friends

- Nearly two-thirds (63%) of teens now have a cell phone and for teens who have them, they are the premier communication method for talking with friends.

- Among teens with cell phones, 55% say they use them to talk with friends every day.

Posted by anastasia