With more and more people getting connected to the world of social networking, people are understanding the importance of their privacy. Teenagers definitely have this in mind, especially when it comes to teenage girls. Because when you get your own social networking site, you really never know who is on the other end of a conversation.

Teens may be looking for new friends or searching for their identity. They may want to assert their independence, or maybe just flirt.

Their reasons vary, but more than half of the nation’s online youth ages 12 to 17 are connecting with one another via the Web, says a new report on social-networking sites such as MySpace.

And, mindful of crimes by cyber predators, most of those teens are also using privacy settings intended to block outsiders, according to the study released today by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, a Washington research group.[more]

Tags: Social Networking, Privacy