Majority Of Teens Turn To Parents For Online Privacy Advice

While most teens don’t want mom and dad prying into their Facebook and Twitter lives, they are happy to ask for online privacy advice.

A new study conducted by Pew Research Center has discovered that teens ages 12 to 17 often turn to mom and dad for advice. The study finds that a majority (71 percent) of teens ask for privacy advice.

Forty-two percent of teens also ask their friends for security tips, while 41 percent turn to parents for account safety tips.

Amanda Lenhart, senior researcher and director of teens and technology at the Pew Research Center, tells Mashable:

“At first, the finding that 41% of online teens have asked for advice about online privacy from a parent seems surprising — particularly given that many teens are motivated to protect their privacy specifically from their parents. But for a subset of teens, often younger ones, their parents were heavily involved in helping them set up their social media accounts (often as a precondition to use) and so it’s not so surprising that those teens would be seeking advice from their parents.”

Teens from 12 to 13 are less likely to ask others for advice (both parents and peers) about online privacy management.

The study also finds that 75 percent of girls will ask for help compared to just 66 percent of boys. Girls are also more likely to stay up-to-date on new privacy features.

Thirty-seven percent of youngsters are also likely to ask a sibling or cousin for help. Thirteen percent of young kids and teens turn to a website for advice, nine percent turn to teachers, and three percent rely on “other” sources.

With programs like Snapchat becomes a bigger part of our everyday lives, we will likely continue to see more internet users, young and old, turning to advice about protecting their online identities.