There was a new study released by the MacArthur Foundation revealing that teenagers socializing on the internet is an integral part of their development, and is just not as bad for them as we have previously thought.

The study, started in 2005, had 5000 hours of researchers observing how teenagers interact on sites like MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and other social networking sites.

“It might surprise parents to learn that it is not a waste of time for their teens to hang out online,” said Mizuko Ito, University of California, Irvine researcher and the report’s lead author. “There are myths about kids spending time online – that it is dangerous or making them lazy. But we found that spending time online is essential for young people to pick up the social and technical skills they need to be competent citizens in the digital age.”

This is a surprising outcome, and it changes the game for parents. When I was a young girl, my best friend lived down the block. This generation of children are connecting with others that live on the opposite side of the world. It’s helping to foster tolerance and understanding, and it’s exposing kids to other cultures and ideals that they might have only read about otherwise. Learning how to navigate interactions with others will lead to being more comfortable dealing with people in the business world, and with how to make a point without offending anyone.

Social interaction isn’t the only thing that has changed the way our youth matures. Being able to access any information, by simply searching for it, has changed the level of intelligence and competence in teenagers. If a young boy wants to learn how to upgrade his computer, or play the guitar, or what the most popular rock song of all times is, they merely have to google it. I know that when my kids ask me a question, if I don’t know the answer, or if I think they need to learn more than I can share with them, I tell them to look it up. Finding knowledge on your own is much more likely to be retained than something just spouted off after a question.

I think the most important thing to remember is that, as a parent, you need to monitor where your kids are frequenting online, and who they are having contact with.

Article Tags: digital interaction | macarthur foundation | social media | studies

Filed under: Digital Media, Documentary, Education, Networks