Over the past two decades the psychological landscape of the Internet has changed from a place of fear and risk, to a warm, fuzzy community of close friends for its younger users.

This is the gist of the result of a study of studies, whose results were published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The report should encourage parents, who grew up in the era when the Internet was seen as a distraction for teenagers, to view it more as a positive influence in their children's lives.

It would also be interesting to compare your experiences as a parent, with the study's general characterisation of the Internet and how its social utility has been transformed by the mob of teenagers. Every such social study must make generalisations to get to a conclusion, but it is the outliers, those who are not having a pleasant experience, who we must watch.

The study was done by psychologists Patti Valkenburg and Jochen Peter of the University of Amsterdam, who looked at a decade of research on the changing mental landscape of the Internet. They note that in the past the Internet was seen as a real risk for teenagers, and resulted in fewer close friendships and more tenuous connections with family.

"It appeared that teens were sacrificing real relationships for superficial cyber-relationships with total strangers," they write.

They refer to a 1998 study which showed that Internet use reduced adolescents' social connectedness and well-being within a period of one year; and a 2001 study which demonstrated that adults who spent more time on the Internet spent less time with friends. Another study in 2001 found that adolescents who had fewer friends, particularly fewer "friends who always listened to them" were more likely to be Internet users.

But two historical trends have changed the landscape, they believe. For one, the sheer number of teenagers now using the Internet has transformed the technology into a "true social networking tool". Adolescents are considered as the defining users of the Internet, spending more time online than adults (My comment: we all got caught out at work!).

In the late 90s, about one in ten adolescents were online, which meant that they actually had to choose between online relationships with friends who were connected and real relationships with those who were not. The circles were exclusive of each other.

Today, the vast majority of teenagers in Western countries are online and according to the study most appear to use the technology to nurture their existing relationships rather than to forge new ones. As a parent you can decide whether that trend is good or bad.

The second trend is the newer communication tools, which also encourage building on existing relationships. In the 90s, teens who spent time on the Internet tended to hang out with strangers in public chat rooms and MUDS, or multi-user dungeons.

Instant messaging and social networks like Facebook led to the transformation as more than eight in ten teenagers use IM to connect with the same friends they see at school and work, according to more current studies in

This has resulted in what the psychologists call their "Internet-enhanced self-disclosure hypothesis". In plainer language, they believe friends are becoming more intimate in their disclosures to each other, are become closer with each other, leading to more positive effects of social connectedness and well-being.

Their conclusions are quite far reaching, if true. Valkenburg and Peter believe that the 21st century Internet encourages honest talking about very personal issues - feelings, worries, vulnerabilities - that are difficult for many self-conscious teens to talk about.

"When they communicate through the Internet, they have fewer sounds and sights and social cues to distract them, so they become less concerned with how others perceive them," they write. "This in turn reduces inhibition, leading to unusually intimate talk."

Well, we may now ask: does this seem anywhere near the truth? Are teenagers becoming more honest and open in their relationships with friends? Are the psychologists just trying to wrap psychological tissue around the usual teenage angst or is this the age of "hyperpersonal" relationships as they call it?

I am going to ask the adults to vote on this by sending me an e-mail. Either put "angst" in the subject line if you believe the study is all bull or "hyperpersonal" if you believe teenagers are being transformed by the Internet into social beings we might invite to a dinner party.

If you are a teenager in Bermuda then perhaps you can send me a longer message about how the Internet and in particular social networking has transformed your friendships. I would love to hear from you. I promise not to use your name if I quote from your message. Send the e-mail to elamin.ahmed@gmail.com