Users compile a list of IM buddies, all of whom can converse online in real time, their comments scrolling down the screen. Children send a goodly portion of the 403 million IMs that go out every day, discussing who's cool, who's a dork, and other similar matters. If she weren't sending messages, Doherty claims, she'd be on the phone. Except she is often talking on the phone while IMing. And doing homework.
Adults are dubious.
But you can't do much conceptual thinking. She and other educators do think E-mail teaches kids to be better writers. Youngsters are mostly wary of strangers on the Internet but don't always grasp other E-mail perils. Moreover, they could be sued for libel, says attorney Christopher Wolf of Washington, D.C., if they defame someone's character in an E-mail. Yet another thing for parents to worry about.