Almost Half Of 8-17 Year Olds Use Social Networks

New research from Ofcom has found that almost half of 8-17 year olds are social network users.

The regulator’s survey of 5,000 adults and 3,000 children found that 49% of those aged between eight and 17 have a profile.

British children were found to be heavy users of sites such as Bebo, Club Penguin and Habbo as well as sites aimed at over 14s, such as Facebook.

Facebook is the most popular site with adults followed by MySpace and then Bebo. For children aged between 8 and 17, Bebo was the most used social networking site.

Ofcom added that 41% of children and 44% of adults leave their privacy settings as default ‘open’ which means that their profiles are visible to anyone.

In addition, 34% of 16-24 year olds are willing to give out sensitive personal information such as their phone number or email address.

Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk