From the University of Wisconsin Parents have long believed —
and research bears out — that teenagers are more apt to pursue
risky behavior if they believe “everybody’s doing it.” Now, in a
first-of-its-kind study, a University of Wisconsin-Madison
research team found that young adolescents believe depictions of
underage drinking on social-networking sites such as MySpace or
Facebook are real. Seeing dozens of on-line profiles boasting of
drinking or sex, says the study’s author, makes risky behavior
seem normal among all teens — a belief that might influence them
to pursue the same activities. Dr. Megan Moreno, assistant
professor of pediatrics at the UW School of Medicine and Public
Health, conducted focus groups involving adolescents, ages
11-18. “We now have this first step of hearing teens say, ‘If we
see our peers displaying this behavior on a social-networking
website, we believe it is real,” said Moreno. “If you learn that
three of your best friends smoke, then you are more than likely
to adopt that b