Society should be aware of the potentially harmful effects of the internet, networking sites and computer games on the brain, leading neuroscientist and peer Baroness Susan Greenfield has said.

"By the same token we have got to be very careful about what price we are paying."

On the other side of the equation, social networking sites might reduce empathy, said Lady Greenfield.

Americans sent 1 billion text messages in last December, up sharply from 253 million from the previous year.

Increasingly, text messaging is boosted by tie-ins with television shows such as American Idol, major league baseball and pro football.

Texting is eroding our children's ability to spell. Because becomes "cuz." Are you becomes "RU." Laugh out loud is now "LOL." Make no mistake, texting is really instant messaging with a wireless device and a whole new English syntax is developing. Problem is, texting is destroying proper sentence construction and turning writing into a series of fragments.

Kids who send text messages or use the Internet right before bed may suffer poorer sleep at night as well as mood and cognitive problems during the day, according to results of a pilot study.

Text messaging and other electronic communication media were linked to excessive movement during sleep, insomnia, and leg pain at night in students ages 8 to 22,

Use of these technologies after bedtime was also associated with "high rates of daytime cognitive or mood problems ... including ADHD, anxiety, depression, learning difficulties," according to the report slated for presentation here at the CHEST meeting on Wednesday.