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Jul 17, 2007 12:22 pm US/Eastern
Study: 40 Percent Of MySpace Users Are 35-54
Parents Often Alienate Their Kids With Own Pages
by Tamsen Fadal
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Social networking Web sites MySpace.com and Facebook.com say their fastest growing user base is 35-54 and 25-and-over, respectively.
CBS
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Mark Zuckerberg headshot, as Facebook.com founder.
AP
Web sites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com are tremendously popular with teens. But now, networking sites are reporting more parents are logging on and setting up their own pages.
So is this just a case of parents keeping a close eye on their kids, or adults just trying to fit in the with the younger generation?
How about simply the idea that adults enjoy socializing too?
The leading Internet research company comScore conducted an analysis of users on social networking sites in August of 2006. Their findings show that 68 percent of MySpace's users are age 25 and older, and users between 35-54 make up 40.6 percent of the MySpace visitor base. That's up 8.2 percent from 2005.
Laura Matthews and her daughter, Carol, say they have similar tastes in clothes, jewelry and now, even social networking Web sites.
"I could just see it was fun and had all these great features and so I figured, dive right in," Laura Matthews said.
Mother April Beyer said she feels the same way about MySpace.
"I can definitely understand why the kids get hooked," Beyer said. "I'm hooked on it myself."
Digg This Story!In addition to the surprising MySpace statistics, Facebook reports its fastest growing age group is 25 and older.
Mark Sullivan, with PC World Magazine, says the reasoning behind these numbers is simple.
"(Parents) simply want to swim in the same water as their kids," Sullivan said.
Beyer said she created her MySpace page to check up on her 15-year-old, but then realized it's also a great way to build a network of her own.
"It's an easy way to find people that you went to high school with, people that you may have lost touch with," Beyer said.
Laura's got her own circle, too, although she is careful not to alienate her kids.
"When I was wanting to go into this universe of Facebook and connect with my legitimate friends, I wanted to be sure I wasn't getting into my kids' face," Matthews said.
But Matthews' daughter wasn't so thrilled with her online mom, a normal reaction according to sociologist and family therapist Julie Albright.
"So, if suddenly they're trying to hang out and here comes mom on there, that's not really that cool," Albright said.
With some boundaries set, Matthews' daughter eventually warmed up to the idea, as has Beyer's daughter Ashley, who even offers advice.
"I showed her how to do her layout, how to leave a comment, how to put pictures on her page," Ashley said.
Albright said while it's great that parents are experimenting with profiles and having fun, it's critical to remember that if you can see your kids' profiles, they can see yours, so, keep all your information family-friendly.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
