KEEP OUT! Teen Strategies for Maintaining Privacy on Social Networks

Abstract

Teens are one of the biggest users of online social networks today. Social networks such as Facebook allow teens to carry out some of the developmental work of adolescence virtually. Teens can “hang out” with friends, experiment with identity, and take social risks. But as social networks grow in popularity, a teen’s “friends” on a social network can be a diverse group that includes even their parents. This paper looks at teens’ nuanced views on privacy and how many teens have developed strategies to maintain their privacy on social networks, including posting fake information and using aliases instead of real names.