CREATING & CONNECTING//Research and Guidelines on Online Social — and Educational — Networking NATIONAL SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION CONTENTS Creating & Connecting//The Positives . Page 1 Online social networking Creating & Connecting//The Gaps . Page 4 is now so deeply embedded in the lifestyles of tweens and teens that Creating & Connecting//Expectations it rivals television for their atten- and Interests . Page 7 tion, according to a new study Striking a Balance//Guidance and Recommendations from Grunwald Associates LLC for School Board Members . Page 8 conducted in cooperation with the National School Boards Association. Nine- to 17-year-olds report spending almost as much time About the Study using social networking services This study was made possible with generous support and Web sites as they spend from Microsoft, News Corporation and Verizon. watching television. Among teens, The study was comprised of three surveys: an that amounts to about 9 hours a online survey of 1,277 nine- to 17-year-old students, an online survey of 1,039 parents and telephone inter- week on social networking activi- views with 250 school district leaders who make deci- ties, compared to about 10 hours sions on Internet policy. Grunwald Associates LLC, an a week watching TV. independent research and consulting firm that has conducted highly respected surveys on educator and Students are hardly passive family technology use since 1995, formulated and couch potatoes online. Beyond directed the study. Hypothesis Group managed the basic communications, many stu- field research. Tom de Boor and Li Kramer Halpern of dents engage in highly creative Grunwald Associates LLC provided guidance through- out the study and led the analysis. activities on social networking A more detailed market research report based on sites — and a sizeable proportion this survey, including findings of interest to industry, of them are adventurous noncon- is available commercially from Grunwald Associates formists who set the pace for their (www.grunwald.com). peers. The study was carried out with support from Microsoft, News Corporation, and Verizon. The views of the study Overall, an astonishing 96 per- do not necessarily represent the views of the underwriters. cent of students with online access report that they have ever used any social networking technolo- gies, such as chatting, text messag- July 2007 ing, blogging and visiting online homework that requires Internet A Hot Topic of Social Networking: Education communities, such as Facebook, use to complete. In light of the MySpace and services designed study findings, school districts specifically for younger children, may want to consider reexamin- Percentage of such as Webkins and the chat sec- ing their policies and practices 59% online students who say they tions of Nick.com. Eighty-one and explore ways in which they talk about any education- percent say they have visited a could use social networking for related topics, including 59% social networking Web site within educational purposes. college or college planning; the past three months and 71 per- learning outside of school; cent say they use social network- news; careers or jobs; politics, ing tools at least weekly. Creating & ideas, religion or morals; and Further, students report that Connecting// schoolwork one of the most common topics The Positives of conversation on the social There has been explosive growth networking scene is education. in creative and authoring activi- Almost 60 percent of students ties by students on social net- who use social networking talk working sites in recent years. about education topics online and, With words, music, photos and Percentage of surprisingly, more than 50 percent videos, students are expressing 50% online students who say they talk specifically about schoolwork. themselves by creating, manipu- Yet the vast majority of school talk specifically about 50% lating and sharing content online. schoolwork districts have stringent rules This is how they’re spending time: against nearly all forms of social networking during the school day Posting messages. More than one — even though students and par- in five online students (21 per- ents report few problem behaviors cent) say they post comments on online. Indeed, both district lead- message boards every day; four ers and parents believe that social out of 10 (41 percent) say they networking could play a positive do so at least once a week. In role in students’ lives and they 2002, only 7 percent posted daily recognize opportunities for using and only 17 percent did so at it in education — at a time when least once a week, according to a teachers now routinely assign similar Grunwald Associates LLC Source: Grunwald Associates LLC survey. Creating & Connecting page 1 Sharing music. Nearly a third (32 once a week or more. Overall, six (16 percent) say they use percent) of online students say nearly half (49 percent) say they online tools to create and share they download music or audio have uploaded photos or artwork compositions that are more that other users uploaded at least at some point. sophisticated than simple art or once a week, or upload third- stories, including virtual objects, Site-building. More than one in party music or audio themselves such as puzzles, houses, clothing 10 online students (12 percent) (29 percent). More than one in 10 and games. One in seven (14 per- say they update their personal (12 percent) say they upload cent) create new characters at Web site or online profiles every music or podcasts of their own least weekly, with nearly a third of day; one in four (25 percent) do creation at least weekly. these students doing so every day. so at least weekly. In 2002, only 12 One in 10 (10 percent) start or Sharing videos. Nearly a third (30 percent of tweens and teens even contribute to online collaborative percent) of online students say had a personal Web site or online projects weekly or more fre- they download and view videos profile. quently. Ten percent send sugges- uploaded by other users at least Blogging. More than one in six tions or ideas to Web sites at least once a week. Almost one in 10 (9 (17 percent) of online students once a week as well. Nearly one in percent) say they upload videos of say they add to blogs they’ve cre- 10 (9 percent) submit articles to their own creation at least weekly. ated at least weekly; 30 percent of sites at least weekly or create polls, Overall, more than one in five students have their own blogs. In quizzes or surveys online. online students (22 percent) say 2002, blogs were a negligible blip they have uploaded videos they Nonconformists — students who on the online scene for students. created at some point. step outside of online safety and Creating content. In 2002, only behavior rules — are on the cut- Sharing photos. Nearly one in about one in seven students (13 ting edge of social networking, four (24 percent) of online stu- percent) said they were involved with online behaviors and skills dents say they post photos or art- in online art and story-sharing, that indicate leadership among work created by others at least either creating it or looking at their peers. About one in five (22 once a week. More than one in others’ work. Today, many more percent) of all students surveyed, five (22 percent) say they post students report participating in and about one in three teens (31 photos or artwork of their own just one creative process — percent), are nonconformists, stu- creation at least that often. In authoring — every week — and dents who report breaking one or 2002, only 12 percent said they the range of their content creation more online safety or behavior “exchange pictures with friends” activities is much broader. One in rules, such as using inappropriate page 2 National School Boards Association language, posting inappropriate Popular Social Networking Activities pictures, sharing personal infor- Percentage of online tweens and teens who say they do these activities at least weekly mation with strangers or pretend- ing to be someone they are not. Posting messages Nonconformists are signifi- 41% cantly heavier users of social net- Downloading music working sites than other students, 32% participating in every single type Downloading videos of social networking activity sur- 30% veyed (28 in all) significantly Uploading music more frequently than other stu- 29% dents both at home and at school Updating personal Web sites or online profiles — which likely means that they 25% break school rules to do so. For Posting photos example, 50 percent of noncon- 24% formists are producers and 38 Blogging percent are editors of online con- 17% tent, compared to just 21 percent Creating and sharing virtual objects and 16 percent, respectively, of 16% other students. Creating new characters These students are significantly 14% more likely to be heavy users of Participating in collaborative projects both new media (online, video 10% games, handhelds) and old media Sending suggestions or ideas to Web sites (TV, videos/DVDs, radio). But 10% they are significantly more likely Submitting articles to Web sites to prefer new media to old. They 9% also are disproportionately likely Creating polls, quizzes or surveys to learn about new sites and fea- 9% tures online, through the “chat vine” or other online mechanisms, while other students are more Source: Grunwald Associates LLC Creating & Connecting page 3 Leading Their Generation likely to hear about them from Creating & Nonconformists parents or teachers. Ironically, Connecting// are significantly more likely than other students to be: nonconformists also are more in The Gaps touch with their parents as well, Traditional influentials (students who recommend products frequently and keep up with the latest brands) communicating significantly more frequently with their par- While social networking 39% ents in every way except in person seems omnipresent in the lives of — online or by cell phone, for most tweens and teens outside of 27% example — than other students.