• Introduction
• Key Findings
• References

Computers and the Internet recently passed a milestone: both are now used by a majority of Americans. Two-thirds of Americans used computers in 2001, up from about one-half in 1997, and 54 percent used the Internet, up from about a third in 1997. Comparable trend data have not been published for 5- to 17-year-olds, but among those ages 9 to 17, Internet use has increased from about one-third in 1997 to about two-thirds in 2001 (U.S. Department of Commerce 2002). In 2001, the use of these technologies was more widespread among children and adolescents ages 5 through 17 than among adults: about 90 percent of 5- to 17-year-olds used computers and 59 percent used the Internet in this year (table A).

This report uses data from the September Computer and Internet Use supplement to the 2001 Current Population Survey (CPS) to examine the use of computers and the Internet by American children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 17.¹ The report examines the overall rate of use, the ways in which children and teens use the technologies, where the use occurs (home, school, and other locations), and the relationships of these aspects of computer and Internet use to demographic and socioeconomic characteristics such as children's age and race/ethnicity and their parents' education and family income.

Key findings from the 2001 CPS are as follows:

• Most children and adolescents use these technologies. About 90 percent of children and adolescents ages 5–17 (47 million persons) use computers, and about 59 percent (31 million persons) use the Internet (table A).
• Use begins at an early age. About three-quarters of 5-year-olds use computers, and over 90 percent of teens (ages 13–17) do so (figure A). About 25 percent of 5-year-olds use the Internet, and this number rises to over 50 percent by age 9 and to at least 75 percent by ages 15–17.
• There is a "digital divide." Computer and Internet use are divided along demographic and socioeconomic lines. Use of both technologies is higher among Whites than among Blacks and Hispanics and higher among Asians and American Indians than among Hispanics (table A).² Five- through 17-year-olds living with more highly educated parents are more likely to use these technologies than those living with less well educated parents, and those living in households with higher family incomes are more likely to use computers and the Internet than those living in lower income households.
• Disability, urbanicity, and household type are factors in the digital divide. Consistent with the findings of previous research (U.S. Department of Commerce 2002), 5- through 17-year-olds without a disability are more likely to use computers and the Internet than their disabled peers, and children and adolescents living outside of central cities are more likely to use computers than those living in central cities. When not controlling for other factors, children and adolescents from two-parent households are more likely to use the computer and the Internet than those from single-parent households,³ and children and adolescents living outside of central cities are more likely to use the Internet than those living in central cities. However, when controlling for other factors such as family income and parent education, the association of household type and of Internet use outside of central cities was not statistically significant.
• There are no differences between the sexes in overall computer or Internet use rates. In contrast to the 1990s, when boys were more likely to use computers and the Internet than girls were, overall computer and Internet use rates for boys and girls are now about the same (table A).
• More children and adolescents use computers at school (81 percent) than at home (65 percent). The difference in school versus home computer use is larger for groups of 5- through 17-year-olds who are generally less likely to use computers. Computer use at school exceeds use at home by 30 percentage points or more for Blacks and Hispanics (table B). Use at school also exceeds use at home by 30 percentage points or more for those whose parents did not complete high school, who live with a single mother, who live in households where Spanish is the only language spoken by household members age 15 or over, or who live in households where the family income is under $20,000. However, home use is slightly more prevalent than school use for two groups: (1) children and adolescents whose parents have at least some graduate school education, and (2) children and adolescents who live in families with incomes of $75,000 or more per year.⁴
• The use of home computers for playing games, to connect to the Internet, and for work on school assignments are common activities. A majority (59 percent) of 5- through 17-year-olds use home computers to play games, and over 40 percent use computers to connect to the Internet (46 percent) and to complete school assignments (44 percent). Middle-school-age and high-school-age youth (ages 11–17) use home computers to complete school assignments (57–64 percent), to connect to the Internet (54–63 percent), and to play games (60–63 percent).
• Home is the most common location for Internet access, followed by school. Although nearly all schools have Internet access, children and adolescents are more likely to access the Internet from their homes. Of those children and adolescents who use the Internet, 78 percent access it at home, compared to 68 percent who access it at school. Many of those who rely more on access at school come from lower income families (less than $35,000 per year) or have parents who have not earned at least a high school credential.
• Many disadvantaged children and adolescents use the Internet only at school. Among the group of children and adolescents who access the Internet at only one location, 52 percent of those from families in poverty and 59 percent of those whose parents have not earned at least a high school credential do so at school. In comparison, 26 percent of those from families not in poverty and 39 percent of those with more highly educated parents do so only at school. This illustrates the role of schools in bridging the digital divide.
• Considering all locations, the use of the Internet for work on school assignments, e-mail, and games are common activities. Among Internet users ages 5–17, about 72 percent (42 percent of all persons in this age range) use the Internet to complete school assignments, while 65 percent (38 percent of all persons in this age range) use the Internet for e-mail or instant messaging and 62 percent (36 percent of all persons in this age range) use it to play games.

Table A. Percentage of children and adolescents ages 5 through 17 who use computers and the Internet, by child and family/household characteristics: 2001

Table B. Percentage of children and adolescents ages 5 through 17 using computers at home and at school, by child and family/household characteristics: 2001

Figure A. Percentage of 5- through 17-year-olds using computers or the Internet, by age: 2001