Understanding the New Social Rules of Youth, with Mary McIlrath and Amy Henry

At left, Amy Henry, Vice President of Youth Insights, C&R YouthBeat and Mary McIlrath, Vice President, C&R Research

By Dana Stanley, Vice President, iCharts

Amy Henry and Mary McIlrath presented some conclusions they've made from YouthBeat, a syndicated study by C&R Research of youth (born 2000 to 2003), tweens (born 1996 to 1999), teens (born 1992 to 1995) and parents.

The presentation focused on how today's youth navigate the social world. Today's social environment is very different than it was when today's adults were young, but young people's needs for social connection is as important as it has always been.

Following are Amy and Mary's five rules of socializing today:

Social Rules are Not a One Size Fits All Proposition ' The way kids interact socially online varies a lot as they get older. Friends become increasingly important. Around age 12 is when online social networks come to the fore. The means of communicating change over time; for example, now many kids consider instant messaging to be pass.

Socializing Means Shared Ideas, not Shared Spaces ' The online world is primarily a social space. Technology allows kids to socialize even when they are not together, and friends are never really out of touch.

Social Spaces Defy Definition for Today's Youth ' We cannot box kids in based on our adult conceptions. For example, many brands that kids consider cool online (Abercrombie & Fitch) are not the ones they are most comfortable with in an in-person context (Wal-Mart).

Socializing Isn't More Superficial ' It's Smarter ' Many adults feel the way kids socialize online today is somehow less genuine than what they remember from their own past. However, we should take into consideration that today's is more efficient, and, importantly, requires a different and, arguably, more sophisticated understanding of social dynamics. For example, teens posting to Facebook must think long and hard about the implications of each post, and they feel pressure to make their posts pithy. There is even more strategy involved in cultivating friendships today than in the past.

Social Models Reflect Social Consciousness ' Youth value intimacy and authenticity in their online social role models. For example, kids prefer the type of character portrayed in Glee than the aggressive characters in Gossip Girl. Also, many youth use sites like Facebook to create their own brand of social activism.