Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working with colleagues at the Seattle Children's Research Institute, found that "more than 90 percent of adolescents have Internet access, and about half of these use social networking sites, such as MySpace or Facebook."

For the first study, the investigators examined the "MySpace profiles of 500 people who identified themselves as 18-year-old males and females in the United States," CNN (1/6) reports. The team noted that the "references to risky behaviors included both words and photos."

Lead author Megan ("Dr. Meg") Moreno, M.D., M.S.Ed., M.P.H., of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, explained that "not all teens who write about risky behaviors in their profiles actually engage in them in real life." Instead, they may "talk about sex, substance use, or violence because they are contemplating doing those things, or because they want to brag without actually doing what they say."

And, "in a second study, Moreno and colleagues identified 190 profiles of 18- to 20-year-olds that contained three or more references to sexual behaviors or substance abuse. The authors then made a profile of their own, called 'Dr. Meg,' from which they sent a single email to half these profiles, warning them about the risky information, and offering information about clinical resources."

According to the AP (1/6, Johnson), "many teenagers cleaned up their MySpace profiles, deleting mentions of sex and booze and boosting privacy settings, if they got a single cautionary email from...'Dr. Meg.'" Dr. Moreno said that "shows how parents and other adults can encourage safer Internet use." Bloomberg News (1/6, Pettypiece) and HealthDay (1/5, Gordon) also covered the story.

Related Links:

- "Kids reveal a lot about themselves online," Liz Szabo, USA Today, January 6, 2009.