Social networking study

School Boards: Net Dangers Overrated; Bring Social Networks to School
Ninety-six percent of 9- to 17-year-olds with Internet access say they use social-networking sites, such as MySpace, Facebook and Webkinz, and nearly half say they discuss schoolwork. "There is no doubt that these online teen hangouts are having a huge influence on how kids today are creatively thinking and behaving," said Anne L. Bryant, executive director of the National School Boards Association, which released the survey. The study concludes that the Internet isn't as dangerous as people think, and teachers should let students use social networks at school. At least half the adolescents who exchange messages for hours with their friends online or by cell phone spend part of the time discussing their schoolwork.
(http://www.nsba.org/site/docs/41400/41340.pdf)