I had a chat this morning with someone who was bemoaning kids’ use of technology. Her fifteen-year-old daughter wants either a cell phone or a laptop computer for Christmas, she said, but she and her husband are worried that the teen won’t “learn to write properly because of all that Facebook, Twitter and texting nonsense that young people waste their time on.” I explained the unschooling philosophy that any writing done voluntarily is a good learning experience, but I’m not sure she believed me. So I told her about a study just out from the UK-based National Literacy Trust that should set her worries to rest. Instead of dumbing down literacy, this research shows that technology offers a variety of writing opportunities for young people. And it concludes that kids who have a profile on a social networking site or a blog enjoy and have confidence in their writing – two of the precursors for continued learning.

The report outlines the findings from 3000 pupils aged nine to sixteen in England and Scotland, who completed an online survey earlier this year. It explores gender and age differences, and examines the link between socio-economic background and writing. It also explores young people’s writing with respect to mobile phone ownership, having a blog and having a profile on a social networking site.

Seventy-five percent of respondents said that they write regularly, mostly using technology. Eighty-two percent of young people wrote text messages at least once a month, seventy-three percent wrote instant messages (such as messages on AIM or MSN), and sixty-three percent wrote on a social networking site. Fifty-six percent said they had a profile on a social networking site such as Facebook and twenty-four percent said they have their own blog.

Those who write on a blog were much more likely than young people who do not blog to enjoy writing in general and for family or friends in particular. In addition, blog owners and those with social networking profiles were also more prolific writers than their counterparts. They held more positive attitudes towards writing and computer use, and viewed professional writers more favorably. And owning a mobile phone did not appear to alter their writing behavior.