Teens develop important social, technical skills on the Internet

Teens spend a lot of time on the computer. They chat with friends, look at Facebook and check email. But is all this online activity good for your teen? Whatever happened to hanging out with friends in person?

The results from a recent study on teens and the Internet might shock you: Teens are developing important social and technical skills online.

It's easy to see the "technical skills." Your teen is probably the most computer-savvy member of your family--and by far the fastest typer. But the "social skills" are harder for many parents to understand.

Teens' "social networks" are vastly different from years ago. Friendships used to be defined by location (whoever lived nearby was a good candidate for friendship) and privacy (reading a diary was the worst breach of trust that could be committed).

Now, thanks to the Internet, teens are friends with kids from around the world--and are broadcasting their secrets to anyone who wants to read them. In fact, learning how to manage the visibility of what they post online is one of the most important social skills today's teens have.

That said, it's still important to monitor your teen's computer usage--both the time spent online and the websites viewed. And as always, make sure schoolwork comes first.

Reprinted with permission from the December 2009 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (High School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2009 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: "New Study Shows Time Spent Online Important for Teen Development," The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.4773437/k.3CE6/New_Study_Shows_Time_Spent_Online_Important_for_Teen_Development.htm.