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Posted: Thursday, 20 November 2008 8:08AM

Study Finds Time Online Important for Teen Development

Regine Schlesinger Reporting

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CHICAGO (WBBM) - If your child is spending every waking hour online, relax. A new study finds that develops valuable skills.

WBBM's Regine Schlesinger reports:

In a study funded by the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation, researchers followed the digital media activities of 800 teenagers over 3 years.

Dr. Mimi Ito of the University of California-Irvine says spending time on Facebook, MySpace, or YouTube is productive. "That sort of casual, social and recreational hanging out on line may look like a waste of time to adults, but, in fact, kids are picking up a whole host of technical and media skills," she says.

And far from withdrawing from social interaction or becoming isolated, she says, kids are engaging with their peers through their online activities. Rather than worrying, she believes, parents should embrace their children's tech time.

On the Net: http://digitallearning.macfound.org/site/c.enJLKQNlFiG/b.2029199/

11/20/2008 10:40AM

how about play some sports

get off the comp and get outside do something active and relate with real people thats how you develop as a person not by sitting in front of computer AMERICA IS LAZY

11/20/2008 12:56PM

Lazy teenagers

i agree with your comment, kids are lazy. Next week it will be in the news about the obsesity rate among teens. What's wrong with this picture? Have you ever seen some of the things on you tube talk about a waste of time.

11/20/2008 3:06PM

Get This...

I think Circus Peanuts should be taken off the shelves at Walgreens. Kids get soooo fat from them things.

11/20/2008 4:17PM

games

How about resurrecting games like "hot potato"...it's fun and loads of exercise!

11/20/2008 8:12AM

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