Eighty years ago, parents fretted that their children were rotting their brains by listening to the radio too much. Thirty years ago, they moaned that television was ruining their kids' lives. Today, it's the Internet that's poisoning the minds of America's youth.

Relax, says a new study: All that pointing, clicking, and typing in broken English is good for your children. Unlike passive TV and radio media, the Internet is a genuine platform for two-way communications, one which is helping children to "pick up basic social and technical skills they need to fully participate in contemporary society." At least, that's what a three-year, $3.3 million study from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has uncovered.

Per the study (and a little common sense), in today's world, social bonds are formed both offline and online, especially among youth. As well, even "wasting time" on the computer helps children learn basic technical skills which will serve them well later in life: The Internet offers exceptional avenues for research, which helps many children plan a career path and develop the talents needed to master it, whether that's digging deep into technical issues or idly reading about current events.

Also be warned, parents, that kids take a dim view of punishments that put a damper on their computer time: "The study found that youths perceive erecting barriers — like limiting computer time — 'as raw and ill-informed exercises of power.' And teens, being teens, develop 'workarounds,' ways to subvert those barriers thrown up by parents and schools."

The linked story from the San Jose Mercury News has many more interesting tidbits from the study, including concerns about children and online safety, and how parents can use the web to better communicate with their kids. Check it out here.