Large numbers of teenagers mention "risky behaviours" online
Large numbers of teenagers mention "risky behaviours" online
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Tuesday, 06, Jan 2009 07:57
Around half of teenagers mention sex, substance use or other behaviour categorised as "risky" on social-networking websites, a report claims.
In a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine today researchers warn such actions may attract unwanted attention from sexual predators or jeopardise future employment prospects.
They add that social-networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook play an important role in adolescents' social lives and act as a place for identity exploration and peer group interaction.
Researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute and University of Wisconsin–Madison looked at 500 publicly available profiles, of which the owners reported being 18-years-old and living in the United States.
A total of 270 (54 per cent) of the profiles contained references to "risky behaviour", including 120 (24 per cent) that mentioned sexual behaviours, 205 (41 per cent) referenced substance use and 72 (14.4 per cent) that referred to violence.
Teens whose profiles mentioned church or religious involvement, or indicated active participation in a sport or hobby, were less likely to display any type of risky information, the authors claim.
"Given the popularity of social networking sites among teens and the high prevalence of risk behaviours displayed there, social networking sites can be explored as an innovative venue to identify, screen and ultimately intervene with adolescents who display risk behaviour information," they add.