Research shows shift in online sharing habits for teenagers and young adults aged 13-22

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- While Millennials (aged 18-33) have become known as a generation that shares its life online, a new study released today shows the younger generation is becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of authenticity of their peers online.

The study shows the different patterns in which this younger age group interacts on social media and their thoughts on peers' social media sharing habits. Harris Poll conducted the research study online during the late summer amongst 812 teenagers and young adults aged 13-22. The Naver Corporation's U.S. subsidiary, Camp Mobile Inc., who earlier this month launched BAND, a private group sharing app in the U.S., commissioned the fresh survey data.

A lack of authenticity online frustrates teenagers and young adults

With nearly three-quarters of teenagers and young adults aged 13-22 owning a laptop (73 percent) or smartphone (72 percent), it is no surprise that the younger generation is likely sharing more information through social media.  That being said, four in five (81 percent) youths aged 13-22 agree that people their age share too much information online. A majority of them agree that most people online are only "being themselves" a small amount of time (69 percent) and that they sometimes have a hard time reading "fluff" their friends post (63 percent). More than half (57 percent) say they wish their friends' online posts were more authentic.  

College students are more likely than high school students to de-friend people for being fake (56 percent vs. 47 percent, respectively). However, somewhat surprisingly, they're more likely to post something without really thinking about what they are posting (31 percent vs. 23 percent). The study showed that boys are more likely than girls to say they share everything or most of what they do on social media (17 percent vs. 10 percent, respectively).

"This new research survey supports our theory that there's a cultural shift underway, being driven by Generation Z. It shows a preference for online authenticity and more private group spaces to selectively share different information with various subsets of their diverse work and personal lives," said Doyon Kim, General Manager of Camp Mobile Inc. and BAND. "The moving trend away from auditorium-style social networks to more private group spaces shows there is a real need for a different type of social network and messaging platform."

Younger generation want to get away from the adults

The study also found that this age group feels like they want to be more real online, but can't. Nearly two in five (39 percent), say they don't feel like they can be their real self on social media , or have a place where they can express their "real self" online (36 percent). Also, not surprisingly, the "older" crowd's presence online has a negative effect on time spent on social media. Slightly more than a third (37 percent) agree that they spend less time on social media now that their parents, aunts and uncles, and/or other older relatives are on it. Additionally, about two in five (44 percent) say they don't post things online because they think a parent or older relative might see it, while three in ten (31 percent) say they think a potential recruiter for a job could see it.

Time spent on social media continues to increase; yet online sharing decreases

About two in five (39 percent) youth aged 13-22 report they spend about the same amount of time on social media accounts now compared to a year ago, and about another third (35 percent) say they spend more time.  Yet interestingly enough, two-thirds of youth (66 percent) agree they don't share as much information online as they used to.  

"These statistics point to the increasing need for private networks in which people can communicate and share with select groups of people," says Kim. "This change in the way the younger generation share information with their peers will affect the popularity and continued use of a variety of social media networks. It will be interesting to see how technology offerings respond to this shift. We'll be paying close attention here at Camp Mobile, Inc. as we continue to adapt BAND to the U.S. market needs."

Survey Methodology
The Youth and Online Habits study was conducted online within the United States from July 31- August 14, 2014 by Harris Poll on behalf of Ruder Finn and its client, Camp Mobile, among 812 respondents aged 13-22 who are online. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].

About Camp Mobile Inc.
Camp Mobile Inc. with its offices in Palo Alto, CA and Seoul, Korea, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Naver Corporation (035420:KS). Launched in 1999, Naver Corporation is an Internet content service operator that is headquartered in Seongnam, South Korea. Naver was the first Korean web portal to develop its own search engine, and is Korea's largest internet company in terms of net profit, holding nearly 80 percent of the South Korean search market. The maker of the BAND social messaging app for groups, Camp Mobile was established in 2013 as Naver's exclusive mobile affiliate, and focuses on the development and marketing of cutting-edge mobile apps. The messaging app LINE is a subsidiary of Naver. To learn more, please visit http://band.us

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Media contact:
Ramona Redlingshafer
Ruder Finn, Inc.
[email protected]
650-542-7741

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SOURCE Camp Mobile Inc.