Mimi Ito is a cultural anthropologist who studies how youth engage with new media and digital technologies. She co-led the Digital Youth Project, a 3-year study of how kids use media for hanging out, messing around, and geeking out in their everyday lives. The project found that kids develop skills through peer-based learning online and pursuing specialized interests, but there is often a generation gap where adults do not recognize or support this learning. Ito argues parents and educators need to understand youth media use in order to set realistic norms and foster productive learning through digital tools.