Cyber-stalkers prey on teen bloggers Cyber-stalkers prey on teen bloggers US study urges young bloggers to be wary of divulging personal information Robert Jaques, vnunet.com 21 Feb 2006 Teenage bloggers are putting themselves at risk of cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying because they often reveal their names, ages and offline locations, according to new research. The warning was made in a study of 68 randomly selected blogs produced by individuals aged 13 to 17. The research was conducted by David Huffaker, a Northwestern University researcher working on a technology and social behaviour programme, and Northwestern professor Justine Cassell. Huffaker said that half of all teenaged bloggers link to other bloggers, often including a 'friends list', and almost 70 per cent provide a comment section in order to obtain feedback from readers. The researcher noted that blogs play a positive role from a developmental perspective by offering teens a place to construct narratives and share stories. "These activities are important to identity exploration, which is one of the principal tasks of adolescence," he said. "The mechanics of these online diaries, with their opportunities to link to and get feedback from peers, also aids teenagers in creating and maintaining social ties." The randomly selected teen blogs, equally divided between males and females with a mean age of 15.47 years, were examined for content and the amount of personal or private information revealed. Seventy per cent of the teens disclosed at least their first name, while 67 per cent revealed their age, and 61 per cent provided their contact information either in the form of email (44 per cent), instant messaging name (44 per cent) or a link to a personal home page (30 per cent). Nearly 60 per cent of those who provided contact information disclosed the city or state in which they reside. Fancy being a writer? Sign up for a vnunet.com personal blog "Studying teen blogs highlights the fact that blogging is not an individual pursuit in the way that teen diaries once were. Instead, blogs are used by teens to form a small or large community," said Huffaker. On the positive side, the study found that blogs give teens an opportunity to share their stories and feelings. "They provide a venue in which they can reflect upon their experiences," said Huffaker. "The ability to create a community online also bodes well for future social development." Almost half of the blogs included discussions about boyfriends or girlfriends, or attractions to someone in the form of a "crush". Not surprisingly, 71 per cent included commentary about school-related topics, such as academic marks, homework, high school, college or college pressure. Almost half of the online diaries discussed aspects of music, including the use of MP3 players, songs, lyrics, favourite bands and concerts. Huffaker also found that the positive effects of blogging on verbal and digital literacy and social interaction are accompanied by some negative effects. "The danger of sexual predation by adult strangers and of bullying by peers are sometimes unfortunate products of the teen blogging phenomenon," he concluded.
Uh oh, I've been found. *scrambles away* But seriously, what harm can revealing your first name, age, email address, messenger handles, and website do? These people need to stop being such tightwads. If a stalker was persistent enough, they could have easily hacked your computer already. *goes back to stalking a certain someone* :bandit:
*Runs away From Oink* Leave me alone!!! I agree caution has to be taken on the internet. It's a line that holds billions of people together. Even so, we are all pretty trusting sometimes. I have no idea what I'm going on about.
Caution should be taken while handing out information.... but if you have some weirdo arrive at your doorstep, and you have a bazooka, I think the two can cancel each other out somehow.
I'm not stalking anyone who is apt to go wee-wee all the way home My shoes are new and, besides, they are not waterproof
I thought we agreed to never ever mention that in public, ever again! Besides, I'm already stalking a certain loveable, ahem, girlie.
Oh I am way ahead of you Josh. Why do you think my "online" status is always "Browsing User Profile: OinkUsed2BABunny" ?
Oh, count yourselves lucky. I've heard that I had a tendency to bite, kick, and slap quite a lot during my bunny phase. Josh, Book and Snake could testify, aye. I'm still a bunny, btw. Just more cynical and grumpy. All the time. Edit: Triumph! Another thread inadvertently derailed! I am still the King.
I'm the queen, though. It was on my lil sub titley thingy majiggum, but then I met a new guy. Again. I actually felt a bit tight, because methinks Josh wanted this to be a serious thread. Oh well, sorry Josh!
Psh, if Josh wanted this to remain a serious thread, he knew better than to leave it unlocked. That goes out to all of you mothers regarding your daughters. No thing or person is safe from the King. Watch, I'm gonna get banned under suspicious circumstances right after this post gets out.
Ooo! Ooo! Joshie? Can I have the honor of temp-banning Oinkster? Bwhaahahahahaha. I need a laugh today. :|
Correction: No problem. I've temp-banned myself from here at least half a dozen times already. Just say when, and I'm gone.
