Spying on kids' online activities is waste of time

"If you feel that you have to use some sort of computer programme  to surreptitiously monitor your child's social networking, you are wasting your time. Your child will find a workaround in a matter of minutes," said Larry D. Rosen, who led the study.

"Communication is the crux of parenting. You need to talk to your kids, or rather, listen to them," said Rosen, professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills. "Talk one minute and listen for five," he added, according to a university statement.

"You have to start talking about appropriate technology use early and often, and build trust, so that when there is a problem, whether it is being bullied or seeing a disturbing image, your child will talk to you about it," he said.

Facebook can be distracting and can negatively impact learning. Studies found that middle school, high school and college students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period achieved lower grades.

Rosen said new research has also found that social networking can help introverted adolescents learn how to socialise behind the safety of various screens. These findings were presented at the 119th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.