We all know parents are just a bunch of big, silly, worrywarts.

They worry needlessly, constantly and unwaveringly, from the trivial ("did you get your homework done?") to the mundane ("bring a sweater, it could get chilly later") to the generally invasive ("are your friend's parents going be there?")

And, in addition to being overprotective, neurotic and hopelessly embarrassing, parents are also invariably missing the point.

Like, for instance, when they insist on an early curfew but allow their daughters to attend the "cool girls" (read underage drinkers') slumber party. Or when they freak out about MySpace and The Real World instead of worrying whether their kids are having unprotected sex or boozing in between classes.

U.S. parents are more worried about the amount of time their kids spend watching television or meeting friends on Internet social networks than about sex or alcohol abuse, according to a new study.

Some 57 percent of 1,138 U.S. parents surveyed were either very concerned or strongly concerned about children spending too much of their time with different media outlets. By comparison, about 45 percent of parents said they were as concerned about their kids engaging in sex or using alcohol.

Concerns over their children struggling in school or developing a weight problem also ranked higher, at 55 percent and 46 percent of respondents, than sexual activity or alcohol use.

So, to recap, your parents would rather you were fat, slutty coke whores than MySpace-using, fake news-watching honor roll students.

Which means Paris Hilton's posse has FINALLY done something right!