The kids are all right

???According to a study released recently by the MacArthur Foundation, Internet use is not as harmful to childhood development as many think-it promotes increases in cognitive and social ability and encourages kids to read.

???Emergent technologies are always singled out as the downfall of humanity, only to prove (so far) that they are no more harmful than the machine that came before them. The difference with modern telecommunications technology is that for the first time, humanity has what can be referred to as a 'ubiquitous technology'; that is, technology that is omni-present in people's lives.

???Whether or not this has a detrimental effect on the species remains to be seen, but it is obvious that there is some effect on the way we interact, and will interact in the future. For proof, just watch the folks on the bus as they type away, white headphones dangling.

???Ubiquitous technology is the next step in social evolution. It has already flattened the world and promoted a global network, but history will show these to be only the initial steps in the integration of computers and the human mind.

???Whether or not this will be a good thing is impossible to foresee. There are points to be made on both sides of the argument, from the depersonalization of communication that is made possible by text-based interaction to the reality of the Internet as a tool for education. Already, do-it-yourselfers use forum communication with knowledgeable professionals to learn skills they have been barred from in the past, from carpentry to electronics to literary criticism.

???These technologies carry a greater potential for abuse though, simply because of their all-encompassing reach. Lori Drew, the Missouri woman who used a fake MySpace persona to harass a 13-year-old girl until the child hanged herself, is currently on trial in California.

???If anything, the expanse of the Internet only demands that those responsible few of us take greater care with our own personal use, and with the use of those we are responsible for.

???The only way to ensure the health of modern children is to take the same interest in their behavior online as one does with their child's behavior outside the home.