Social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter are
killing off good old fashioned ‘people skills’, some researchers claim.

Researchers found sites which encourage ‘limited character’ sentences are affecting peoples’ confidence in holding face-to-face conversations.

They’re also blamed for many of us losing the ability to use ‘body language’ to convey thoughts or feelings and a growing reluctance to chat to strangers.

Four out of ten surveyed claimed the social networks had a negative impact on their personal social skills.

In odd news, the researchers didn’t note the number of potential respondents who simply grunted at them in the street and carried on walking as they fiddled with Twitter on their iPhone.