According to an October 2003 report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 2 out of 5 children and teens rely on the Internet to complete school assignments (see Chart 1 in full report). One-third of the respondents to the 2001 survey reported using the Internet to communicate with others via e-mail and to play games. One out of 5 K-12 students indicated obtaining news reports and finding information on products via the Internet. One out of 10 reported using the Internet to participate in online chat and listservs, to watch TV or movies, or to listen to radio.
Highlights
- The most popular use of the Internet by children and teens is to complete school assignments.
- The older students get, the more they rely on Internet access.
- At-risk students—including certain racial and ethnic minorities, the disabled, the poor, those with less well-educated parents, and those from inner cities—are less likely to have access to the Internet at home.
- Internet access via schools and public libraries helps to compensate for this inequality.
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