A FASCINATING REPORT

Connected to the Future: A Report on Children's Internet Use from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
This is a report on children’s use of the Internet in the U.S. by the Corporation on Public Broadcasting. It indicates the pervasiveness of use, thereby challenging developing nations to catch up. It also indicates continuing equity problems, challenging developing nations to define equity maximization strategies. According to the report, “65 percent of American children ages 2–17 now use the Internet from home, school, or some other location — a 59 percent growth rate since 2000, when 41 percent of children went online from any location…… almost as many family households have Internet access as have a home computer — 78 percent of children live in homes in which either they or a parent use the Internet from home, a 70 percent growth rate from 2000….. children ages 6–17 reported using the Internet on average 5.9 hours per week in 2002, up from 3.1 hours per week in 2000…… teenagers claiming an average of 8.4 hours per week online at home, children 9–12 reporting 4.4 hours, and children ages 6–8 reporting 2.7 hours per week online.” However, “Significantly more Caucasian children use the Internet at home compared to Hispanic and African- American children……More than ethnicity, the income of a child’s family is a significant determining factor on whether or not he or she has access to the Internet at home….. School Internet use of African-American 2–17 year-olds surged 158 percent, from only 12 percent in 2000, to 31 percent in 2002. Low-income children’s school use grew 60 percent over the two-year period….. Nonetheless, Caucasian (38 percent) and high-income (47 percent) children’s school access still significantly outpaces other populations….. In 2002, 37 percent of families with home Internet access reported a broadband connection. In 2000, that number hovered somewhere around 10 percent….. since getting broadband: 66 percent spend more time online; 36 percent watch less television; 23 percent get better grades……Our study shows that families who are choosing broadband come from higher income groups.” (PDF, 8 pages)

Plus another treat:

Search Engine Referrals Nearly Double Worldwide, According to WebSideStory“As of Thursday, March 6, 2003, search sites accounted for more than 13.4 percent of global referrals, up from 7.1 percent the previous year,” according to this story from StatMarket.