I can totally see how the Internet could dent a child's budding social skills. I don't have a whole lot of social skill to begin with, but what little I did have has been mostly eaten by my computer, I'm sure. I find myself sometimes yearning for voicemail over a person, an email over a face-to-face meeting. Why should it be any different for my kid?

The study found young people add media skills, knowledge and "learn basic social and technical skills that they need to fully participate in contemporary society".

With the avoidance of face and verbal cues, social risk is largely averted, while communication (for the keyboard-literate) is enhanced and the internet may function as a venue for avoiding intimacy."

Adolescents who play more than one hour of console or Internet video games may have more or more intense symptoms of ADHD or inattention than those who do not. Given the possible negative effects these conditions may have on scholastic performance, the added consequences of more time spent on video games may also place these individuals at increased risk for problems in school.

The research findings are more mixed, however, regarding the effects on children's social development. Although little evidence indicates that the moderate use of computers to play games has a negative impact on children's friendships and family relationships, recent survey data show that increased use of the Internet may be linked to increases in loneliness and depression.

The authors conclude that more systematic research is needed in these areas to help parents and policymakers maximize the positive effects and to minimize the negative effects of home computers in children's lives.

Positive feedback on the profiles enhanced adolescents' social self-esteem and well-being, whereas negative feedback decreased their selfesteem and well-being.

Positive feedback on the profiles enhanced adolescents' social self-esteem and well-being, whereas negative feedback decreased their selfesteem and well-being.

"... when kids are online, they're reading, thinking, analyzing, criticizing and authenticating - composing their thoughts. Kids use computers for activities that go hand-in-hand with our understanding of what constitutes a traditional childhood. They use the technology to play, learn, communicate and form relationships as children always have. Development is enhanced in an interactive world