(January 5, 2009 - Insidermedicine) Online social networking profiles created by adolescents commonly reference risky behavior such as sexual activity, according to research published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Here are some reasons to monitor use of online social networking sites:

•    Dozens of these sites are available on the Internet. Some of the most popular are Facebook, MySpace, and Friendster.

•    Adolescents can create profiles that include where they live, what school they go to, and what interests they have.

•    These profiles may make them targets for sexual predators or affect future employment opportunities.

Researchers from the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute analyzed the contents of 500 publicly available online social profiles in which the individuals identified themselves as 18 years of age and living in the United States.

More than half of the sites referenced risky behaviors, including sexual activity and violence as well as drug and alcohol use. Among 190 individuals with MySpace pages that referenced risky behaviors, receiving a single email from a physician pointing out the risks of their profiles and links to health resources resulted in a significant decrease in the amount of risky behavior referenced on their sites three months later.

Today's research highlights the danger adolescents expose themselves to by referencing risky behavior in publicly available social networking sites on the Internet.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.