Teenage Life Online

About 17 million youth ages 12 through 17 use the Internet. That represents 73% of Those in this age bracket. A study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project reveals That teenagers' use of the Internet plays a major role in Their Their relationships with friends, Their families, and Their Schools. Generally Teens and Their parents think the use of the Internet Enhances the social life and academic work of children. However, the Internet has a pivotal role in the lives of American teenagers, and there are aspects of the Internet That Make cause strain and worry parents and Their Children That these technologies are not an unqualified good in teens' lives. Generally Teens are intense users of instant messaging technology, and use it and other online spaces and tools to play with and manage Their identities online.

Parents and Their Children Often do not agree about the place of the Internet in Their Home. They say many parents enforce time limits on Their children's use of the Internet, but most teens do not say They have limits. At times, the role of the Internet at home generates struggles and arguments the between parents and teens. Both generations agree That Their teens know more than parents about the Internet. They also agree That there are Reasons for concern about the impact of the Internet on all teens.

Some 57% of parents worry Strangers That Will Their contact children online. These worries are well grounded. Close to 60% of teens have received an instant message or an email from a stranger and 50% report emailing or instant messaging with someone They have not met before. Despite this, teens themselves are not particularly worried about Strangers online. Parents respond to these worries by checking up on Their Children and sitting down with Them on Occasion while They are online, and other precautions to keep Them safe online.

There is also strong agreement Among parents and teens that use of the Internet helps youth at school. In Addition to being a key resource for school, the material on the Web teaches children in other ways. It helps Establish Their Their Tastes and fills in gaps of knowledge on sensitive subjects.

About the Survey

This report is based on the Findings of a special survey of 754 children, ages 12 to 17, WHO use the Internet and one of Their parents or Guardians (a total of 1.508 persons interviewed) and was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, the between November 2, 2000 and December 15, 2000. Results in this report are based largely on data from this special online survey of youth and parents. For results based on this survey, the margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. In Addition to sampling error, question Wording and practical Difficulties in conducting telephone surveys may introduce some error or bias into the Findings of opinion polls.