Young people feel socially supported by having large networks of on-line friends they may never see. Social media is affecting the way kids look at friendship and intimacy, according to researchers.
The typical teenager has 300 Facebook friends and 79 Twitter followers, the Pew Internet and American Life project found in its report, Teens, Social Media, and Privacy.
And some have many more.
The 2013 study also says the norms around privacy are changing, and the majority of teens post photos and personal information about themselves for all their on-line contacts to see.
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