Parents Can Relax

According to this article in today's New York Times, "Teenagers’ Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing".

The full report, "Living and Learning With the New Media", conducted by Digital Youth Research, is found here.

In essence, the report says that, while online, teens mostly socialize with their friends and acquaintances. For those parents who have teenagers -- or children who have recently graduated from this age range -- this is old news.

Lead researcher Mizuko Ito was quoted as saying, "...their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the contemporary world. They're learning how to get along with others, how to manage a public identity, how to create a home page."

Some parents might not be completely reassured, particularly those who are thorough readers of their print edition of the New York Times. On page A27, a continuation of the internet socializing article is found below this account of the Missouri woman who taunted a 13-year-old girl with a phone MySpace account.