• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, December 22, 2005

About 21 million, or 87% of kids ages 12-17, use the Internet. According to a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, half of all teens and 57% of teens who use the Internet have created a blog or webpage, posted original artwork, photography, stories or videos online or remixed online content into their own new creations. The study considers them "Content Creators."

The results highlight that this is a generation of teens eager to share their thoughts, experiences, and creations with the wider Internet population.

Some key findings of the study include:

• 33% of online teens share their own creative content online, such as artwork, photos, stories or videos 
• 32% say that they have created or worked on web pages or blogs for others, including friends or school assignments 
• 22% report keeping their own personal webpage
• 19% of online teens keep a blog, and 38% of online teens read blogs 
• 19% of internet-using teens say they remix content they find online into their own artistic creations.

Teens are often much more enthusiastic authors and readers of blogs than their adult counterparts. Teen bloggers, led by older girls, are a major part of this tech-savvy cohort. "For American teens, blogs are about self-expression, building relationships, and carving out a presence online," said Amanda Lenhart, co-author of the report entitled, "Teen Content Creators and Consumers."

51% of online teens report downloading music, compared to just 18% of adults who report similar behavior. Mary Madden, a Research Specialist at the Project and co-author of the report, said "At a time when social norms around digital content don't always appear to conform with the letter of the law, many teens are aware of the restrictions on copyrighted material, but believe it's still permissible to share some content for free." 75% agree with the statement that, "Music downloading and file-sharing is so easy to do, it's unrealistic to expect people not to do it."

To view the entire report, please visit here.