TEENAGERS who spend hours in front of computer screens are not dropping out into cyberspace, as many believe.

In reality they care deeply about their communities and want to be involved in trying to make the world a better place, new US research suggests.

Seven years ago Justine Cassell, professor of communication studies at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, set up an experimental online community of 3,000 young people from 139 different countries.

Yesterday she told a scientific meeting in the US how the youngsters, aged 10 to 16, embraced their virtual society.

Far from throwing away the opportunity, they rose to the challenge, electing leaders and negotiating what world problems they wanted to solve.

Action

Through a process of their own, they agreed on a style of working and a set of plans for community action.

Prof Cassell told the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual conference in St Louis: "There is a widespread fear that young people are losing a sense of the importance of being involved in social communities and with other people in general, and that part of the reason comes from the amount of time they spend online.

"On the contrary, my research shows that young people are participating in civic processes, and that they do care passionately about their communities and about the world. It's just that their involvement is qualitatively different today.

"It does not take place mainly in basement meetings or around the outdoor campfires of the scouts anymore - today it also takes place inside in online communities in the glow of the computer screen."

ARE you a teen who proves - or disproves - these findings? Have your say.