{"id":13376,"date":"2015-10-13T12:00:06","date_gmt":"2015-10-13T17:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/digital-romance-how-teen-boys-and-girls-differ\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:19:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:19:50","slug":"digital-romance-how-teen-boys-and-girls-differ","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2015\/10\/13\/digital-romance-how-teen-boys-and-girls-differ\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital romance: How teen boys and girls differ"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks to texting and social media, teens today have many more ways to reach out to a crush than in the analog days of using the family telephone and passing notes in the hallways.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But according to a recent Pew Research Center <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2015\/10\/01\/teens-technology-and-romantic-relationships\/\">report<\/a>, some romantic traditions remain the same. The most common way for teenage boys to ask someone on a date is to ask a girl in person rather than via text message.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2015\/10\/13\/digital-romance-how-teen-boys-and-girls-differ\/ft_15-10-13_teenromance\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-274256\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e6e8e5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e6e8e5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"310\" height=\"395\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/10\/FT_15.10.13_teenRomance.png?resize=310,395 310w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" class=\"wp-image-24612 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/10\/FT_15.10.13_teenRomance.png\" alt=\"Girls More Likely Than Boys to Wait for Someone to Ask Them Out\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2015\/10\/01\/how-teens-interact-with-potential-romantic-partners\/#for-teens-asking-someone-out-in-person-is-the-most-common-approach-although-digital-tools-also-play-a-role\">nearly half<\/a> (47%) of teen girls say they usually wait for someone to ask them out first, compared with only 6% of boys. Girls are also much less inclined than boys to ask someone out, whether in person (35% girls vs. 69% boys) or via text message (20% vs. 27%).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, our report on teen romance found boys and girls have a lot in common when it comes to asking someone out by calling on the phone, messaging on a social networking site or getting one of their friends to do the asking. But there were a few gender differences worth noting.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2015\/10\/01\/social-media-and-romantic-relationships\/#many-teens-view-social-media-and-text-messaging-as-a-space-for-connection-emotional-support-and-occasional-jealousy-in-the-context-of-their-relationships-although-most-say-social\">Social media<\/a> is an important venue for connecting with someone and deepening romantic relationships, but this is especially true for teen boys. Among teens with relationship experience who use social media, 65% of boys say platforms like Facebook or Instagram make them feel more connected with what\u2019s happening in their significant other\u2019s life, compared with 52% of girls. Boys (50%) are also more likely than girls (37%) to say social media makes them feel more emotionally connected to their romantic partner.<!--more--><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there\u2019s also a more negative side to teen dating and social media. Girls are especially likely to experience inappropriate flirting on social media, with about one-in-three (35%) reporting they have blocked or unfriended someone whose advances were making them uncomfortable. This is more than double the share for boys (16%).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2015\/10\/01\/how-teens-incorporate-digital-platforms-and-devices-into-their-romantic-relationships\/#teens-spend-time-with-romantic-partners-in-a-wide-range-of-venues-and-communication-channels-but-texting-talking-on-the-phone-are-most-common-for-daily-chats-and-check-ins\">27% of teen daters<\/a> have used social media to keep track of their romantic partner\u2019s whereabouts. This practice is somewhat more prevalent among girls than boys. One-in-three girls with dating experience say they have used social media to keep track of their significant other, compared with 22% of boys.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2015\/10\/13\/digital-romance-how-teen-boys-and-girls-differ\/ft_15-10-13_teenromance2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-274257\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e7e7e4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e7e7e4;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"310\" height=\"395\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/10\/FT_15.10.13_teenRomance2.png?resize=310,395 310w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" class=\"wp-image-24616 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/10\/FT_15.10.13_teenRomance2.png\" alt=\"Girls More Likely Than Boys to Block Exes, Delete Photos From Past Relationships\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Post-breakup, girls are more likely to erase their ex from their social media lives. Some 44% of teen girls with dating experience have <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2015\/10\/01\/after-the-relationship-technology-and-breakups\/#post-breakup-rituals-and-maintenance-pruning-connections-and-blocking-contact-on-social-media-and-cellphones-are-common-among-teens\">blocked or unfriended<\/a>\u00a0an ex on social media, compared with 31% of boys. Girls who date (46%) are also more likely than boys (30%) to delete or untag photos from a previous relationship.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In explaining why she would delete photos of a former beau, one high school girl in a Pew Research focus group last year put it this way: If she\u2019s bitter about the relationship ending, \u201cI\u2019m erasing you from my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By and large, teen boys and girls tend to use the same methods to keep in touch, and they share <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2015\/10\/01\/how-teens-incorporate-digital-platforms-and-devices-into-their-romantic-relationships\/#85-of-teens-expect-to-hear-from-their-significant-other-at-least-once-a-day-and-11-expect-to-hear-from-them-hourly\">similar expectations<\/a> for how often they\u2019d like to hear from their partner. The one slight difference is in frequency of texting. Texting is by far the most common means for <em>all<\/em> teen daters to communicate with their romantic partner, but girls use texting more frequently than boys: 79% of girls say they spend time texting their partner daily, compared with 66% of boys.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thanks to texting and social media, teens today have many more ways to reach out to a crush than in the analog days of using the family telephone and passing notes in the hallways. 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