Forget that image of a mislead teen ditching his friends to play World of Warcraft in his parents’ basement – according to one new report, spending time online is actually beneficial to teen development. Last week, the MacArthur Foundation released a study indicating that teens use the Web to strengthen social skills and learn more about subjects that their friends might not share an interest in.
“There are myths about kids spending time online – that it is dangerous or making them lazy,” said report author Mizuko Ito, a researcher at the University of California, Irvine. “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.”
