A series of studies by the Pew Internet & American Life Project discovered that teens are comfortable sharing some personal information online, but their openness has its limits. According to the studies, 55 percent of teens have social networking profiles online. Of these teens, 79 percent include photos of themselves on their profiles, 61 percent reveal their hometowns, and 40 percent include their instant message screen names. Few share their home addresses or phone numbers, and most restrict their online interactions to folks they already know. That said, some teens do talk to strangers online: 31 percent of networking teens have online “friends” they’ve never met; 43 percent have been approached by strangers online. Now, “strangers” in this context might mean a friend of a friend; but 23 percent of teens with online profiles say that an encounter with a stranger has scared them or made them uncomfortable. (MediaPost)