Culture

Teens Developing Growing Awareness on Privacy Issues

At least in regards to what they're doing on their smartphones

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Trying to imagine a teenager without a cell phone or tablet is like envisioning a PETA supporter wearing a Michael Vick jersey. We're sure they both exist, they're just extremely rare specimens that are easily the exception to the norm. Teens love their mobile gadgets, though despite their rabid infatuation with texting, Snapchatting, and other mobile activities, they're surprisingly cognizant of privacy issues.

According to a recent Pew study on Teens and Mobile Apps Privacy (PDF), 58 percent of American teens have downloaded an app to a cell phone or tablet, and more than half have avoided certain apps due to privacy concerns. In other words, teens aren't downloading apps to their mobile devices willy-nilly, the majority are checking the privacy settings before making a determination to snag it or skip it.