Is the Internet damaging young childrens brains???

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/24/social-networking-site-changing-childrens-brains


I read this article on guardian.co.uk. It is about how social networking sites may cause damage to the brain of young children. Neurologists believe that Internet/social networking sites my cause damages such as short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathise and a shaky sense of identity to develop in children who spend too much time on social networking sites.Lady Greenfield, professor of synaptic pharmacology at Lincoln college, Oxford, and director of the Royal Institution has researched and studied this and has said "If the young brain is exposed from the outset to a world of fast action and reaction, of instant new screen images flashing up with the press of a key, such rapid interchange might accustom the brain to operate over such timescales. Perhaps when in the real world such responses are not immediately forthcoming, we will see such behaviours and call them attention-deficit disorder." She argues that social networking sites are not healthy for young minds.Having a friendship that's stability relies on social networking sites can not be healthy for a child to learn and develop skills in human interaction, it may lead a child to become quite stubborn and ill tempered with people. She also argues that children who spend too much time playing Internet games instead of reading a good story book may develop compulsive disorders or addictions. There is a reward when a child wins in an Internet game but when reading a book a child learns patience and knowledge. Greenfield quoted one child who said "that you can't see or hear other people makes it easier to reveal yourself in a way that you might not be comfortable with. You become less conscious of the individuals involved [including yourself], less inhibited, less embarrassed and less concerned about how you will be evaluated." Just from reading this quote you may question your own motives for going on to your Facebook, Bebo,Twitter. Is it because it is easier and less hassle to talk to people without their physical presence, without haven't to see their reaction.??Living this way can not be healthy for the brain or a child's confidence or social interaction. What if the electricity went, the battery on the laptop went, what social abilities would they have to play a board game with their family or sit quietly waiting for the electricity to come back and indulge in a good book?. The Internet and social networking sites are a fantastic way to retrieve knowledge and keep in touch with friends, but why should it be abused??