Social networks, 1 in 3 friends are unknown
Social networks have become a new tool for socializing that allows teenagers to maintain contact, outside of school, with their peer group or with people they do not see on their day to day; a new way of relating with friends. However, the problem arises when part of those friends are, in fact, unknown people.
30% of friends of teenagers in social networks are unknown
During adolescence, belonging to a group becomes a necessity, and what shapes the group are affinities such as hobbies, ways of dressing, ways of thinking and seeing life, musical groups, videos, thematic pages. .. This makes social networks an ideal breeding ground to expand the circle of "friends" to, among other things, have access to more "recommended" information.
Currently, teenagers (10-16 years old) have 177 average friends on social networks. However, according to a study conducted by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) One in three friends who have teenagers on social networks (30%) is unknown. This can be translated into that, of the friends that teenagers have on social networks, 53 of them are unknown: they ignore their real name, their appearance, where they live or what they do. In short, adolescents, currently, do not really know the 30 percent of people they consider friends in their social networks.
Uninformed parents in social networks
The same disinformation that teenagers have about some of their friends in social networks, moves to the sphere of parents. 27 percent of parents acknowledge that they have no knowledge of the social networks their children use on a daily basis.
This ignorance indicates that parents, who usually express a certain concern about the dangers that social networks may pose for their children, actually have a high level of misinformation that makes it impossible to inform them about the risks, advise them how to be responsible with their use, or help them in the event that problems arise in this regard.
The custom of parents to worry about the safety of their children and ask them where they go or who they have left when they leave home, does not translate, however, to the use they make of social networks. Although the majority (95%) know that their children use the Internet and 84% are aware that their children have profiles in different social networks, more than half do not know the number of friends that their children have on Facebook, Twitter, etc. .
In addition, almost half of parents consider it positive that their children maintain contact through social networks. Only a minority (25%), shows some concern for the use made by their children of these networks, which, they believe, can have negative effects.
The favorite social networks of teenagers
The social networks that most teenagers use are Tuenti and the famous Facebook, which occupy the top positions among their preferences. Twitter is relegated to an intermediate position while MySpace, leader in its beginnings, no longer has too much success among teenagers. Likewise, Google +, which is still beginning, has not finished positioning itself as an attractive network for teenagers. This list indicates which networks are the most used by adolescents at present:
1. Tuenti (60%)
2. Facebook (56%)
3. Twitter (24%)
4. Google+ (12%)
5. MySpace (3%)
Teenagers use several social networks at the same time
In addition, there is a new trend among young people: use several social networks at the same time. Often, as part of the routine, adolescents consult not one, but several social networks at the same time, each of which fulfills a different function for them. Thus, the social networks that adolescents use the most simultaneously are:
1. Tuenti (61%)
2. Facebook (24%)
3. Twitter (9%)
Patricia Núñez de Arenas
