Teens and the Web: A bad thing?

The New York Times today cites a report that says that teenagers' socializing via the Web is not a bad thing.
True, they could be out robbing, stealing, but encouraging them to nerd out on the Internet, is that positive? I mean, I'm borderline addicted and I wouldn't necessarily want anyone to spend countless ours on the computer but I'm not a parent. The story goes on to say that:
“It may look as though kids are wasting a lot of time hanging out with new media, whether it’s on MySpace or sending instant messages,” said Mizuko Ito, lead researcher on the study, “Living and Learning With New Media.” “But their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the contemporary world. They’re learning how to get along with others, how to manage a public identity, how to create a home page.”
That's true, but there are some dangers out there that the study fails to acknowledge, just recently a Webcam suicide that nobody took seriously.
But there are positives, the story says:
“It certainly rings true that new media are inextricably woven into young people’s lives,” said Vicki Rideout, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation and director of its program for the study of media and health.