Teenagers who spend hours online socializing are sharpening their ability to handle 21st-century communications, according to a new study by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, in Chicago, reports The New York Times. “It may look as though kids are wasting a lot of time hanging out with new media, whether it’s on MySpace or sending instant messages,” said Mizuko Ito, who led the study of 800 young Web users for MacArthur. “But their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the contemporary world. They’re learning how to get along with others, how to manage a public identity, how to create a home page.”

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