Teenage Internet Use

Steve Jones , Ph.D., communications professor at the University of Illinois, was online Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 11:00 a.m. ET to discuss teen Internet usage and social change in relation to the Internet.

Related Links:

Teens' Bold Blogs Alarm Area Schools (Post, Jan. 17)

The transcript follows.

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Washington, D.C.: How do you feel about privacy concerns for teen bloggers? What are some of the overall risks, and how can they be minimized or done away with all together? Thanks so much.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: Part of growing up, maturing, is learning about the (rather dynamic) line between the private and the public. In one's adolescent years that line is probably more dynamic than it is at any other time, and it is a line that is often drawn and re-drawn. If teens are to have the opportunity to learn about it then they need to have some reasonable expectation that others will not draw the line for them unless there is a clear and compelling reason to do so. Now, it's likely we'll endlessly debate what it takes for something to be "clear and compelling," but I would consider things that show an absolute danger to others or themselves to fit the description. What concerns me is that without a reasonable expectation of privacy teens will be less and less inclined to communicate with others (not only with parents, teachers and other adults but also with their peers) and/or that they may communicate primarily anonymously, which I think would potentially lead them to take less ownership and care of what they, and others, say. I don't know that we can do away with the overall risks, but I would hope that we can minimize them by engaging in dialogue with teens (and younger children, too) about communication and privacy, and about the consequences of words, utterances and action.

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Burke, Va.: What is the real underlying reason(s) why anyone, teens or others, would be willing to put private personal information on the Net for all to see? Is it the human need for recognition of any kind, even if it is negative -- sort of like the mantra that "any publicity is better than no publicity, even if it is negative"?

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: I think one of the underlying reasons is simply that we often don't consider that what we're doing when we put private information online is making it public. Let me put it this way. Often the sites, email lists, chats, etc., that we use _feel_ private. (This is particularly true of seemingly "closed" sites like the Facebook.) We often don't stop to think about whether they are private or public, whether, if private, they may become public (through legal means, e.g, via subpoena, or illegal, such as theft or hack, or accidental, such as misplacing, forgetting to secure data, and so on), whether they will persist (unlike speech, at least in most cases). Even in one of the most mundane examples of online communication, email, we generally don't consider that someone can forward what we send them and that eventually our words could make their way to hundreds, thousands, or more readers. Another underlying reason you already identified, recognition. No one (or at least very few) people like to feel alone, and most people would like acknowledgment (even if only of their existence, but usually also of what they have to say). However, I think that latter is more of a motivation to communicate online, and the former is more often a consequence of communicating online and being unaware of the possibilities concerning what might be done with one's words and information. I think I'm making that sound more ominous than I mean to make it sound. I'd like, in short, for their to be an awareness among Internet users of the entirely public nature of communicating online, and of the potential for fraud, identity theft, etc., arising from placing personal information online, so that users can more clearly and confidently make decisions about what they will post about themselves.

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Mclean, Va.: Are Web sites like myspace.com or other profile sites a good idea? I mean, they are a great way of catching up with old friends (even ones you didn't like), but the amount of teens on that site is a little disturbing. Is there anyway to regulate them? Would that be too big brotherish?

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: I don't think they're a bad thing, and they can be a good thing (as for example they have been for quite a number of bands and musicians who have had their music heard, and in some cases purchased, thanks to exposure via MySpace, or as in the case of the Facebook by creating means of getting to know one's fellow students better). If MySpace feels a bit "too teen" there are other sites that are less so (such as some of the more business-oriented social networking sites) that one can join. However, all social networking sites are in a sense at the mercy of the members. While those who run the site could regulate them (any private concern can regulate speech as it pleases, for all intents and purposes), and they could probably do so in numerous ways (moderators, filters, etc.), I suspect that most people who would join such sites would balk at any regulation. That said, I am a little surprised that there is not much effort at social networking sites to provide some form of reputation-based identification (along the lines of what some e-commerce sites do with reviewers, for instance). Then again, that, too, might be a little too much for some users to stomach.

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Washington, D.C.: Warning older teens and young adults about the damage that blogging can do to their academic and employment futures -- isn't this the best disincentive to use with these age groups?

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: It's a good disincentive, certainly, but at that age there is likely to be little regard for the future (one's 30s, 40s, 50s, etc., seem awfully far off, too far to think about), and warnings from parents and adults generally are all too often not effective (if they were effective...). I have had a couple of instances when teens have told me, in response to such a warning, that they would be able to just say that it wasn't they who posted whatever damaging information it was online, and that they could say it was all made up stuff anyway, because who tells the truth on the Internet? Those weren't bad responses, I have to say.

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Ashburn, Va.: Thanks for your excellent and informative article today. I've already emailed it to my 12-year-old daughter. She is the epitome of a "wired" child. She has a blog at myspace, talks on the phone, and IMs with her friends during her allowed hour of screen time each day.

My question is one of ethics. I've been reading my daughter's blog and her mail on her myspace account. She doesn't know and I don't want to tell her. I do it because it helps me to get inside of her head and to know how she is feeling about things. I also consider it an important monitoring tool in case she really gets into trouble and doesn't feel like she can come to me first. (I should say that she and I have a very good relationship and we communicate well.) She has no expectation of privacy on her email account, she is required to give me the password, in fact. She used the same password for her myspace account, making me feel like that was implicit permission. However, I do think she would feel betrayed if she knew I was monitoring her myspace without telling her.

Any thoughts on what a 21st-century mom who loves and wants to protect her child should do?

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: Writing as a 21-st century dad who's in the same boat, I have sympathy for what you are asking. The one caveat is that your daughter has not given you permission to read material in her MySpace account. She may have used the same password unthinkingly, for example. I would be concerned that she may feel as if her trust has been violated if she did not in fact want to give you permission. However, if you already knew her MySpace username, you could view her site (though you could not view her private messages), and perhaps that would give you enough insight without having to log into her account?

[Disclaimer - I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist, so everything I say is from the perspective of someone trained in communication and not in any of the realms associated with mental health, etc., and I cannot counsel you in regard to your relationship with your child, though I commend you for your concern about it.] It's difficult to on the one hand feel like you have a good relationship with your child but not be concerned about them getting into trouble. I think there's always a "what if?" element to being a parent, and one of the ways we try to alleviate that concern is by encroaching, in varying degrees, on a child's privacy. The extent to which one encroaches and the point at which that is problematic varies from person to person, there can be no hard and fast rules about it. My hope is that our children have enough people within their immediate circle of family and friends to whom they can go for help when they need it, whom they can trust, and who will be truly helpful to them.

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Posting info: I don't think teens realize they lose all control of the information once they post it -- it becomes public domain. What they need to ask before they post is, "Will my parents have a fit if they see this?"

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: That's not a bad question to ask! There was a case of a college student who posted on the Facebook (I can't remember the euphemism) that they smoked pot, and that information wound its way back to their grandmother!

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Rockville, Md.: We have been concerned for years about children on the Internet. Why this new wave of concern for teens? Perhaps it is just another move to regulate what they say.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: It may be that. However, there has been an increase in the number (or at least the reporting) of cases when school administrators have taken some serious steps based on what they have found online that teens had posted, and so it is important for teens to know of those possible consequences. If anything they are resourceful and resilient, and will probably find ways to circumvent attempts at regulation, which is why I would suggest that instead of regulation we make efforts at communication and education.

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Albany, Ore.: I have two daughters, one of which is very much into her MySpace. I talk with both of them at least once a week about the importance of being safe online. I also ask on occasion to see what they have created or put on their page. Usually they like the fact that I want to be involved and want to know. It shows that I am interested in them. I try to limit their time to a reasonable amount and the computer is in a location that gets high traffic by their mother and I. Is there anything else I could be doing to help my daughters be more savvy? Also, why don't more parents stay involved with their children's online activities? I find that a lot say that it is their personal space and they don't want to invade. I have found that my kids don't like the invasion at the time, but I get the feeling it gives them a sense of security .Thanks.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: I think it's terrific that you do this. I'm not sure there's much more you can do, but do continue to be involved, and encourage them to ask questions of you about what they see online. Don't be afraid to answer those questions with "I don't know," but then follow up with "Let's see what we can find out" and do so together.

I don't know why parents aren't more involved in their kids' online activities, but I can venture some guesses. In some cases, they probably aren't as savvy as their kids about the Internet, and may not want to feel their kids are superior to them (in which case I would encourage them to learn from their children). In other cases they may not feel they have the time to participate (particularly if they see their kids online a lot, but one doesn't have to be online with them at all times).

I'd certainly like to hear from people in this discussion about why they think this does not happen more often, and I'd like to hear your own reasons for either not going online with your kids or going online with them. (I realize, of course, that this being an online discussion we're probably more likely to hear from the latter than the former.)

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Melbourne, Australia: In many ways I feel the issue of controlling teenage blogging is similar to attempts to thwart digital piracy. Abusive comments can be posted anonymously, online journals can be locked for "friends only." No matter how many legal and institutional restraints the authorities may attempt to implement, the students and the blog service providers will always outsmart their backward-minded elders. Anyone who tried preventing teenagers from doing what they innately want should know that the policy of schools which ban these types of activities is foolish and only breeds more devious actions and drives the whole operation into the underground. Education about safe sex is more effective than preaching about abstinence. Likewise, schools should be educating students on how to conduct their online life safely instead of instead of imposing restrictions which students won't follow anyway.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: As an educator myself I can only agree that we should be educating our children about the world, online and offline, as best as we possibly can.

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Washington D.C.: One sees an emerging sophistication in some blog postings to the point that it's hard to distinguish between the "best" blogs and good print journalism. Is there a place for teaching high schoolers about communicating online?

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: I should hope that there is, and I also hope that there are efforts among high school journalism teachers to harness the potential of blogging for student newspapers and the like (although that brings up other issues related to privacy that are probably too lengthy to get into at this time, because student newspapers are considered overseen by the schools in which they are published and not seen as "open forums" per se).

In my opinion learning about online communication is now as important as learning about writing, reading and speaking, and is an important part of participating in the modern world. As such it needs to be integrated into the curriculum.

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Washington D.C.: Blogs are just a reflection of how people interact. Myspace and Facebook merely reveal how teenagers communicate, and sometimes that communication is inappropriate. Also, perhaps privacy is overrated. I tend to think today's teen is willing to give up privacy for greater social interaction. Privacy tends to be something adults worry about, not teens.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: Well, today's teen is willing to give up privacy for just about anything (such as a T-shirt or other trinket from a credit card company). In some cases the exchange may be worth it, in other cases it may not be. I'd like to think that we can educate teens about how to best make such judgments.

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Tulsa, Okla: Should parents read their children's blogs?

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: One could post the opposite version of the question: Should parents not read their children's blogs? Or with a twist: Should children read their parents' blogs?

No matter which we ask the answer is, in my opinion, why not? And if you can think of reasons why not, perhaps the author of the blog should reconsider what they are publishing in the blog.

That said, to more directly answer your question, blogs are by definition public (unless they are somehow passworded, but then they become something a bit different than a standard version blog) so it would be important for children to understand that their parents can in fact read their blog, as can anyone else online.

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Washington D.C.: We're already starting to see in the Abramoff scandal rationalizations of language used in e-mails as puffery and calls for standards to be lowered for such speech. Might we see drastic lowering of standards in the future with the vast amounts of archived electronic communication, such that today's teens needn't worry about almost anything they say, short of criminal violations?

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: I'm not quite sure what you mean by "standards to be lowered," quite in what sense lowered, and which standards are in question.

Nevertheless, I think the issue is one of accountability. To what extent do we expect people to be accountable for their words, and to what extent do we expect to be accountable for our own words?

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Washington D.C.: It is paradoxical that such a discussion is taking place this way -- very slowly with few questions? Might it not be better to hold a parallel forum without screened questions and in some sort of a live chat format so people can get a sense of what type of phenomenon we're talking about?

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: That would be another way to do this, certainly.

So far as I'm aware the questions are not being screened - I'm doing my level best to answer them as they come in - and there have been around 15 or so of them, which, as my fingers will attest, is a fair amount of conversation.

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Harrisburg, Pa.: As an office in the Pennsylvania State Capitol with college interns, we have been amazed at how students in recent years have comparatively little knowledge of current and local events. It seems college students today get most of their news from the Internet and their peers, and if it is not on the Internet, they do not know it. About one third of the interns who've come to work at the Capitol could not name who the current governor is. Several never heard about Hurricane Katrina. What really bothers us is that these are the people who eventually want to go into public service and public policy. Is the Internet really to blame for young people no longer reading newspapers or even watching the evening news, or is this more a general cultural thing?

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: Sadly, it's a more general cultural thing. Newspaper readership, particularly among young people, has been on the decline for quite some time. On the other hand, as research by my colleague Kevin Barnhurst has shown, young people are actually very connected to, and concerned about, politics and social issues, but often in ways that are not necessarily easily visible, and in ways that may not "count" to older generations. (Perhaps the most exaggerated example of this might be the phenomenon of the Daily Show.) That you have students, interns, who want to go into public service and public policy, tells me that there's interest among them in so doing, and that they will learn along the way, and, hopefully, will bring some new things with them when they get into the positions they seek. [Personal editorial comment not reflecting the views of the Washington Post, my employer(s), any criticism or claim about Pennsylvania, its citizens or government (for I am not a resident of nor have I ever been a resident of Pennsylvania) or anyone or any institution but myself - let's hope we don't in some way put them into a cookie cutter that'll just give us more of the same.]

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Fairfax, Va.: I checked MySpace to see my son's page, and it's interesting to see that there is an "age requirement", albeit hard to enforce. He fudged his birth date so although he is 17, it says he's 18. I appreciate the article today, since it will give us something to talk about at dinner tonight! A good springboard to discuss the dangers of posting too much information online.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: Glad to hear you'll use it for that purpose!

I'd rather see him fudge the date to get a MySpace account than to try to buy liquor.

Might I recommend, and excuse me for butting in, that you don't start the discussion with him on a negative point, about "dangers," but rather open on neutral turf about what he and you have seen online, what the good and bad are, what stories he may have heard from friends, etc., and make sure the dangers are apparent and understood, but are not the only topic of that conversation.

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Rockville, Md.: My 12-year-old daughter was actually arrested for a blog she wrote because it was deemed to be a threat against another student. I did not know she had a web site because I do not have Internet access in my home. I still question the validity of the arrest because no crime had been committed. The police officer even stated that it would go no further than juvenile services, which leads me to ask the question -- what was the point of the arrest? I believe parents need to be aware that children are posting pictures and personal information for all the world to see. If it's in cyberspace, then it's not personal!!

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: I think this is the kind of case that merits the attention of a news story such as the one that ran today. I'm sorry that your daughter, you and others had to go through what you did. While I can't speak to the particulars of the case (not only because I do not know them, but because I am not an attorney) it is an important lesson for parents that their children may be doing things online, and it behooves parents to be in communication with their children about their Internet use. That's not to say that kids will tell their parents everything about their Internet use (or about anything else for that matter) but it'll at least get the dialogue going.

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Washington D.C.: I asked about standards being lowered. You're right; accountability was exactly what I was talking about. The court of public opinion will conclude whatever it wants about the character of people based on language used in electronic communication, and I bet as the jury is increasingly made up of today's teens' peers, people won't hasten to convict based on such speech. That's what I mean by lowering of standards.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: That's an interesting assertion (or prediction). Perhaps this is what happens in a "marketplace of ideas."

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Rockville, Md.: I was interested in your response to the woman who asked about teen privacy. I have Internet monitoring software on my computer because of issues with one of my daughters. Suspicion that a boyfriend I did not like was selling drugs -- I was right. However, the most serious problem I had was with her younger sister who started instant messaging a boy she met through a friend who had met him in a mental hospital. The boy confessed to my daughter that he had been taken out of high school by several police officers, who also removed hundreds of dollars worth of weapons from his room, and he said he wanted my daughter to flash him. It went on and on. She never realized that her father and I were on to this, and the whole thing eventually blew over, sort of, I think. Anyway, I used to worry about violating my kids' privacy, but now I worry more about keeping them alive. The Internet is totally unsafe for kids. Even those like my youngest, who had the most boring IMs ever until she started up with this boy, can change overnight. I would appreciate any comments you might have on this, since I have rarely seen it discussed.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: My only comments are to commend you for your care and vigilance, but to also note that the Internet does not have to be "totally unsafe" for kids, that it can in fact provide some good things. Like any medium, and perhaps like any relationship, communicating online can go from good to bad very quickly, and parents' concern about children is an important, perhaps the most important, element in keeping them safe from predation whether online or offline.

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Northern Va.: I just wanted to share how these blogs can actually save a teenager's life. Several years ago, I was active on an Internet board for moms. For a while there were a lot of preteens and teens pretending to be moms. Eventually the board changed its rules to allow kids to participate and us moms got to know some of the girls who posted under their true identity.

One of these girls was very troubled manic depressive, living isolated in a rural area, and claimed her mother worked so much that she never listened to her. She started a public blog and I read it. It gave me so much insight to her heartache. In fact she was being sexually abused by a non-related adult. I was able to piece together the information, notify the authorities, who arrested the perpetrator. When she received no counseling, I figured out her parents' names and where the mom worked, and faxed a plea that she get her daughter psychological help.

Too often when people are in a hard place with their kids it is easier to ignore it and focus on survival, and I was able to look at the situtation with a fresher eye, as I was not bogged down in the day to day drama and knew about the blog. I gleaned so many details because this was a problem I wanted to solve, this girl was in so much pain and obviously so bright, yet not listened to and expelled from the public schools. The mom responded and got more involved and the girl is doing so much better.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: That's a great story of some of the positive things that can result from online communication. Thank you for sharing it.

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Washington, D.C.: What are some of the more adult networking sites? It is hard to meet people in this city and I think online networking sites might be a way to do it. Although, I would be very careful and would prefer group things with established sites.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: You might try LinkedIn, or OpenBC, though they are both oriented toward business more than to the social. If there are others in this discussion who can make some recommendations, particularly in the D.C. area, chime in.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Are there any constitutional protections for the kids who blog off school property, after school hours, using their own computers? What is the real reach of the schools? Thanks.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: That's better answered by a lawyer, I think, and I'm not one, and it's probably also somewhat dependent on local laws too. I'm increasingly hearing this matter discussed, however, and it's probably something the ACLU will take on before long should matters continue as they have.

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Washington D.C.: I suggested a parallel live-chat forum. I didn't realize you were getting all the questions unscreened and were doing your best to respond. Sorry.

P.S. This is Joel.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: You, I'll forgive. ;-)

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McLean, Va.: I don't read blogs but the phenomena is interesting. Most of these people who write these blogs would probably say that they don't care what people think of them (as most people in general like to say). But at the same time it is so important to them for people to know what they think. Is there some psychological term for that?

I don't know, I just can't get into this whole blog thing. I can form my own opinions; why would I want to read some random stranger's opinion?

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: There probably is a term - but I don't know what it is!

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Virginia: Kids have the right to privacy before 18 years old? This is new and not true.

Steve Jones, Ph.D.: In some jurisdictions they do have the right (I believe in California, for instance). Nevertheless, I think I brought up an "expectation" to privacy rather than a right, which I think for present purposes is more useful for their own education and expression.

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washingtonpost.com: This concludes today's discussion. Thank you for your participation.

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