The world wide wibble is clearly a place of strange rumours and speculation, but it is amazing what people really believe.
According to research from the Nominet Trust, more than a third of parents believe the internet has the power to 're-wire' brains without a person's knowledge.
One in three parents believe that their precious little snow flakes are in danger from the web and 80 percent think it is possible to become addicted to social networking forums such as Facebook and Twitter.
All these myths are not backed up by neurological evidence, but people believe them for some reason.
The report, with the catchy title The Impact of Digital Technologies on Human Wellbeing, concluded that there is no neurological evidence to suggest that the internet is more effective at 'rewiring' our brains than other environmental influences.
In fact it found that the internet was an important learning resource and all forms of learning cause changes within the brain.
However people seem to be more keen to believe negative reports which imply that the internet is affecting their ability to concentrate.
The Trust said that this was "scaremongering and misinformation". Apparently this can be a problem when you have a generation of parents who are absolutely terrified that something bad is going to happen to their spoilt little brats.
The Trust found that social notworking sites were not a special source of risk to children, and are generally beneficial as they support existing friendships.
Playing action video games can improve some visual processing and motor response skills, while computer-based activity provides mental stimulation, and can help slow rates of cognitive decline.
Annika Small, director of the Trust, said in a press release that the Nominet Trust believes in the internet as a force for social good.
Maybe the internet enables people, who are going to become losers under most circumstances, to get that way faster and easier than in the olden days.
I don't have time to be on facebook very much and I don't ever visit twitter, but I think the reason people gravitate toward those things is because at the root of everything we do, we just want to interact with other humans. we're all addicted to communication, some just do it on the internet.
There are too many people who substitute internet communication for normal relationships. In some cases, it can make sense: people who are geographically isolated, have autistic disorders, etc.
I have concerns about those whose internet use has become a severe obstruction to having a real life. The South Korean couple who let their baby starve to death while they raised a virtual one on Prius comes to mind.