Screentest

Beginning of article

Byline: Donna St. George The Washington Post

WASHINGTON -- A University of Maryland researcher has a message for parents who fret about how much time their preteen children spend on computers: Worry not.

In what researchers describe as one of the first long-term looks at the effects of media use during childhood, a new study linked hours at the computer with achievement test scores and behavior and found little sign of harm for children ages 6 to 12 as they increased their screen time over a six-year period.

Moreover, the study found benefits for girls and African American boys.

"Generally, adolescent achievement and adjustment showed benefits from the use of the …