While adults don’t seem to appreciate the time teens spend online, a recent study by the MacArthur Foundation revealed that American teens actually develop social and technical skills online, in ways that adults find hard to understand.

The research team, lead by Mizuko Ito of the University of California, accumulated over 5,000 hours of observations on over 800 teens and their parents. The study included sites such as MySpace, Facebook or Youtube, but also other social networked communities.

What people usually know about time online is that it alters kids’ mind, and sometimes becomes dangerous, but in fact, spending time online is essential for young people to pick up social and technical skills they need to be competent in the digital age we live in, Mizuko explained.

The researchers found two different categories of teen engagement, one driven by friendship, and one driven by interest. While the first category focused on “hanging-out” with existing friends, the second category was about accessing online information and communities that are not normally present in the teen’s local peer group.

Furthermore, the study concluded that digital media helps young people learn basic social skills, helps them interact and receive feedback from one another in ways that are different from the school experience for example.

However, as much as they take advantage of social networking, teens don’t seem to take full advantage of the learning opportunities provided by the Internet. Some teens take advantage of the online world to explore interests or get access to information that is beyond what they have access to at school or in their community.

Adults can also play an essential role in interest-driven participation, influencing young people in setting learning goals for example.

Furthermore, the study concludes, youth could benefit from educators being more open to forms of experimentation and social exploration that are generally not characteristic to educational institutions.