Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are distracting teenagers from their homework and subsequently making them dumber, the majority of parents of a cyber-safety study believe.

The research, commissioned by Telstra, reveals that 65 percent of parents believe that their children’s “hangin’ out” online during the week seriously affected their attention to study and capacity for learning.

Cyber safety expert Dr Martyn Wild made analogies to policing of children’s behaviour online to their physical social interactions.

“You wouldn’t let your kids stay out socialising with their friends until all hours on a school night, but that is exactly what they are doing online – often right under their parents’ noses,” he said.

Dr Wild went on to say that the massive Facebook community—over 500 million users worldwide—and other social media sites should not necessarily be seen as the enemy, but measures were required to ensure online activity of students improved social interaction and learning.

“The answer is not turning off Internet access, rather it’s about implementing simple behavioural changes in your children and setting realistic expectations about their use of the internet.

“It is important (that computers) are used to enhance rather than distract students from their school studies,” he said.

Image from khurak