“American teenagers today are utilizing the interactive capabilities of the Internet as they create and share their own media creations. Fully half of all teens and 57% of teens who use the Internet could be considered Content Creators, according to Pew Internet. They have created a blog or webpage, posted original artwork, photography, stories or videos online or remixed online content into their own new creations.

"For American teens, blogs are about self-expression, building relationships, and carving out a presence online," said Amanda Lenhart, co-author of the report entitled, "Teen Content Creators and Consumers" and Senior Research Specialist at the Project. "Most young people aren't spending their time at the highly-trafficked A-list blogs. They're reading and creating the 'long-tail' of blogs -- personal sites read by networks of friends and family."

"Today's online teens have grown up amidst the chaos of the digital copyright debate, and it shows," said Mary Madden, a Research Specialist at the Project and co-author of the report. "At a time when social norms around digital content don't always appear to conform with the letter of the law, many teens are aware of the restrictions on copyrighted material, but believe it's still permissible to share some content for free."


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