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48% of Teens Visit Social Networking Sites Daily
More than half (55%) of teens online have created a personal profile on a social networking site, and nearly half (48%) incorporate social networking activities into their daily lives, according to a January 2007 Project Data Memo released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. The study finds that the greatest proliferation of online networking activity occurs in older girls, who turn to the sites to reinforce pre-existing friendships. Teenage boys, alternatively, use the networks primarily to "flirt" and make new friends.
Other findings:
* 70% of girls and 54% of boys aged 15 to 17 say they use online social networking sites.
* 91% of teens users say they use the sites to stay in touch with friends they see frequently, 82% use the sites to stay in touch with friends they see rarely, 72% use the sites to make plans with friends, and 49% use the sites to make new friends.
* 85% of teens who have created an online profile say the profile they use or update most often is on MySpace.
* Nearly half of teens who use social networks visit the sites either once a day (26%) or several times a day (22%), while 17% visit the sites three to five days per week, 15% visit one to two days per week, and 20% visit every few weeks or less often.
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