Facebook, MySpace get embedded in schoolwork

According to a new study, 96 percent of students aged 9 to 17 say they use social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Webkinz, a site about taking care of a virtual pet that is aimed at kids as young as five.

Half of these online kids say they go to social networking sites specifically to talk to other students about schoolwork. (Posting messages is the number one activity for tweens and teens using Myspace or Facebook, but downloading music comes in a close second). And 96 percent of school districts say teachers assign homework that requires Internet use.

The research was commissioned by the National School Boards Association and includes interviews with 250 school district leaders, but it was funded by News Corp. (owner of MySpace), Microsoft (owns a stake in Facebook) and Verizon. Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, an advocacy group in Boston, criticizes the report and the NSBA for going along with it because of all the embedded advertising in the Web sites.

Click here for the full PDF report.