Key Finding 1: The main reason families buy computers and connect their children to the Internet at home is for education. About two-thirds (64 percent) of family households surveyed have a home computer. The most common reasons parents cite for buying home computers are children's education (36 percent) and business use (27 percent). Likewise, the most common motivation parents cite for their child to use the Internet from home is their education (45 percent). Education is the single-most frequently cited motivation (39 percent) for parents who anticipate obtaining home Internet access as well, followed by e-mail (17 percent).

Education continues to be the single-most common "main use" for the home computer, parents report. In fact, families are using their computers for education even more than they thought they would. While 36 percent bought household computers for their children's education, 45 percent actually are using it for that purpose now. Internet use has become the second-most common main use of the home computer, cited by 33 percent of parents. Children ages nine to 17 themselves confirm that education is the single-most common main use of the Internet at home; 48 percent cite this main use, followed by e-mail (32 percent).

Education also figured prominently in reasons for children's increased Internet use. Children ages 13 to 17 cited education and schoolwork (32 percent) as the primary reasons for increased usage. Parents agree, citing one or more educational uses (29 percent) as specific reasons for their children's increased Internet use. The second most common reason (22 percent) parents cited for their children's increased Internet use is that the child is older.

Children–and Parents As Well–Have Positive Attitudes About the Internet

Not only is the Internet influencing how students are learning, it also is influencing attitudes about learning–in a positive way. Forty-three percent of nine- to 17-year-olds with access to the Internet in their schools say the Internet has improved their attitudes toward school, including 17 percent who say it has improved their attitudes a lot. Almost all of the other 57 percent say the Internet hasn't changed their attitudes about school at all. The Internet has had a strong positive effect on school attitudes among a broad range of children, including low-income nine- to 17-year-olds (59 percent of school Internet users in this group cite a positive effect); children in large families (63 percent cite a positive effect); children in single-parent households (54 percent cite a positive effect); and African-American children (35 percent say the Internet has had a very positive effect).

Other findings:

• The Internet is becoming a routine tool for doing schoolwork among many children who are online. Fifty-two percent of nine- to 17-year-olds who use the Internet report using it for schoolwork at least once a week; 28 percent report using it at least once a month. In total, 80 percent report using it once a month or more. Sixty-two percent of parents of children ages two to 17 in Internet households say their children use the Internet for schoolwork at least once a week, and 79 percent say their children use it once a month or more for schoolwork. These children and parents believe the Internet is useful in helping them complete their schoolwork. Eighty-two percent of the nine- to 17-year-olds describe the Internet as "very helpful" or "somewhat helpful" to them in their schoolwork; 85 percent of parents of nine- to 17-year-olds describe the Internet this way.

• Education-related use of the Internet goes beyond schoolwork. Children frequently go online for learning activities that are not connected directly with school, such as pursuing information about interests and hobbies. Forty percent of parents whose children use the Internet say their children use it at least once a week for general learning activities not connected with school; 63 percent say their children use it at least once a month for this purpose. Thirty-three percent of nine- to 17-year-olds who are online say they use the Internet at least once a week for general learning activities not connected with school; 24 percent report using it at least once a month. In total, 57 percent say they use it at least once a month for these activities.

Key Finding 2: The Internet does not disrupt children's everyday habits and typical, healthy activities. In fact, children who use the Internet appear to spend less time watching television; more time reading newspapers, magazines and books; more time playing outdoors; and more time doing arts and crafts than they did before they started using the Internet from home. The findings present a picture of American children whose involvement in a variety of activities continues and even increases–even as their Internet usage is rising. Specifically:

• Thirty-seven percent of all parents whose children use the Internet report that their children's television watching has decreased since they began using the Internet at home, compared to 5 percent who say it has increased. Thirteen- to 17-year-olds themselves report this as well, and to an even greater degree; 53 percent, in fact, say they watch less television, and 7 percent say they watch more.

• Twenty-two percent of all parents whose four- to 17-year-old children use the Internet report that their children spend more time reading newspapers and/or magazines since they began using the Internet, compared to only 10 percent who say their children spend less time. Eighty-seven percent say this time has increased or stayed the same. Among their 13- to 17-year-olds, 81 percent say they read newspapers and/or magazines as much as or more than before, 20 percent say they read more, and 19 percent say they read less.

• Thirty percent of all parents whose children use the Internet report that their children spend more time reading books since they began using the Internet, compared to 14 percent who say their children spend less time. Eighty-five percent say their children's book reading time has increased or stayed the same. Of children ages 13 to 17, a large majority–73 percent–reports this time has increased or stayed the same. Eighteen percent say their book reading time has increased, and 26 percent say it has decreased since they've been using the Internet. (It's important to point out here that teenagers in general tend to read less as they get older; it's a natural pattern for this age group).

• Fourteen percent of parents whose children ages two to nine use the Internet say the amount of time their children spend playing outdoors has increased since they began using the Internet. Eighty-eight percent say outdoor play time has increased or stayed the same. Eleven percent say it has decreased.

• Thirty-one percent of parents say the time their kids ages two to nine spend doing arts and crafts has increased since they started using the Internet. Eighty-nine percent say this time has increased or stayed the same. Only 6 percent say it has decreased.

Key Finding 3: Contrary to conventional wisdom, the Internet does not appear to isolate children from their families, peers or communities. Instead, the Internet is a powerful communication tool that connects children (and parents) to others–and could bolster the home-school connection. Children (and parents) use e-mail, chat rooms and instant messaging, for example, to connect with other people, not avoid them. Moreover, they continue interacting with family and friends in person and on the telephone.

Sixteen percent of all parents whose children use the Internet report that their children have spent more time with family and friends since they started using the Internet; only 6 percent say they have spent less time. Ninety-three percent say interaction with friends and family has increased or stayed the same. Of children ages 13 to 17, 30 percent say their time with friends and family has increased, 95 percent say these interactions have increased or stayed the same, and only 5 percent say this time has decreased.

Many children also spend more time using a more traditional means of communicating–the telephone–after they begin using the Internet. Thirty-two percent of all parents whose children ages five to 17 use the Internet report that their children's use of the telephone has increased since they began using the Internet. Eighty-five percent say telephone use has increased or stayed the same, while 13 percent say it has decreased. Twenty-seven percent of children ages 13 to 17 report that their time on the telephone has increased since they began using the Internet, compared to 23 percent who report it has decreased. Seventy-seven percent report it has increased or stayed the same. As they grow older, children tend to use the telephone more, of course, but the point of this finding is that the Internet does not disrupt this natural tendency.

Strong Parental Interest in Internet Communications With Schools

Parents would like to be able to use the Internet to communicate with their children's teachers and schools as well–creating a powerful opportunity for schools to increase parental involvement in education. Sixty-four percent of all parents are interested in using the Internet to communicate with their children's teachers.

Fifty-six percent of parents would like to be able to view their children's schoolwork online; 55 percent are interested in using the Internet to communicate with the local school board. These findings are even more striking among African-American, low-income, nonprofessional, non-college graduates and younger parents. People who may lack time or opportunity for interactions with schools seem to view the Internet as a safe, convenient way to get involved.

Despite this groundswell of interest in Internet communications, parents are relatively unaware of the existence of school Web sites. Only 33 percent of parents of nine- to 12-year-olds and 43 percent of parents of 13- to 17-year-olds say their children's school has a Web site. By contrast, 43 percent of nine- to 12-year-olds and 59 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds say their school does, indeed, have a Web site. Of those parents who are aware of a Web site at their children's school, 65 percent say they don't use it; of those who don't use a school Web site, 39 percent say the reason is that they "don't need it." This may be an indication that the quality of school Web content is not yet useful enough for parents. Or it may indicate that while parents are optimistic about getting involved in their children's education, they are not always able to make it happen.

Key Finding 4: Girls use the Internet as much as boys, but in different ways. In fact, the Internet may be one of the few public places where girls are equally as involved as boys. The findings suggest that girls are comfortable and competent on the Internet. According to their parents, 48 percent of nine- to 12-year-old boys and girls are online, while 71 percent of 13- to 17-year-old boys and girls are online. Both younger and older girls seem just as likely to use the Internet as their male counterparts; 50 percent of nine- to 12-year-old girls use the Internet, compared to 46 percent of boys. In the 13- to 17-year-old age bracket, 73 percent of girls use the Internet, compared to 70 percent of boys. Overall, there is no statistical difference between the proportion of girls and boys who use the Internet: Clearly, both parents and educators need to shed any remaining stereotypes about technology-phobic girls when it comes to the Internet.

Girls and boys find different ways to use the Internet, however. Girls aged nine to 17 report higher uses of the Internet for education (57 percent) than boys in the same age range (39 percent). Girls in this age group also report using the Internet for schoolwork more often than boys do: Eighty-eight percent of girls report using it at home at least once a month for schoolwork, while 71 percent of boys report using the Internet this often for schoolwork.

Girls are more likely to use e-mail than boys, according to their parents. Sixty-eight percent of girls use e-mail at least once a week, compared to only 50 percent of boys. Thirty percent of boys never use e-mail. Girls aged two to 12 are more than twice as likely as boys (23 percent compared to 10 percent) to use the Internet to e-mail friends and relatives, their parents say. Girls also are significantly more likely to use chat rooms on the Internet than boys are; 36 percent of girls and 27 percent of boys use chat rooms at least once a week, according to their parents.

Boys, on the other hand, report using the Internet more often for entertainment than girls do. Sixty-one percent of boys and 45 percent of girls aged nine to 17 report using the Internet for entertainment at least once a week. In the same age group, 54 percent of boys and 26 percent of girls report using the Internet for games at least once a week.

Key Finding 5: Schools have the opportunity to help narrow the gap between the haves and have-nots with Internet access. The digital divide still exists, but schools have an opportunity to help narrow the gap and level the playing field. Overall, 70 percent of parents with incomes of $75,000 or more report that one or more of their children use the Internet, compared to 35 percent of parents with incomes of less than $40,000. Fifty-seven percent of white parents report that their children use the Internet, compared to 23 percent of African-American parents.

Yet, schools are providing critical Internet access for students who otherwise would have none. In families with incomes of less than $40,000, 76 percent of nine- to 17-year-olds who use the Internet say they log on from school, compared to 68 percent of children from wealthy families and 54 percent of children from middle-income families.

In African-American families, 80 percent of nine- to 17-year-old children who use the Internet say they log on from school, compared to 16 percent who say they log on from home.

Given that schools are the main Internet provider for many students, the amount and quality of time available for Internet access at school are important issues. A large majority of parents of two- to 17-year-olds who use the Internet at school (69 percent) think their children are getting the right amount of time online at school. Fewer (17 percent) think their children get too little time online, and only 2 percent feel their children are getting too much time. Overall, 65 percent of nine- to 17-year-old children who are online at school think they get "just the right amount" of time on the Internet at school. Slightly more than one-fourth (27 percent) think they get too little time, and only 6 percent think they get too much time.

Among white parents, 70 percent believe their children get just the right amount of time online at school, compared to 60 percent of African-American parents. Eighteen percent of low-income parents (household incomes of less than $40,000) and 23 percent of middle-income parents (household incomes of $40,000 to $74,999) believe their children get too little time on the Internet at school, compared to 13 percent of high-income parents (household incomes of $75,000 or more).

From both parents and children, teachers get more high marks than low ones with regard to knowledge of the Internet. Fifty-five percent of nine- to 17-year-old children think their teachers know a lot about the Internet. Thirty-nine percent of parents with children in school give teachers high marks in this area as well. But many parents (30 percent) say they don't know about teachers' Internet knowledge, and only 14 percent disagree that teachers know a lot about the Internet.

Internet use has a pronounced effect on the school attitudes of low-income children and children in single-parent households. Parents from low-income families think so, too. (For more details, see data in Key Finding 1.)

Key Finding 6. Parents trust their children's use of the Internet; however, they do have some concerns. Despite these concerns–and some gaps between parents' and children's perspectives of Internet use–parents generally believe that the Internet is a safe place for their children. Most parents use a common sense, balanced approach to overseeing their children's use of the Internet. They monitor the sites their children visit, limit the time their children spend online and set usage rules similar to those they set for television viewing. Sixty-seven percent of all parents believe that their main role in their children's use of the Internet is as a guide to good content, rather than as a watchdog (24 percent). Overall, though, parents generally are satisfied with the content available for their children on the Internet–and they seem to trust their children to explore. Indeed, the findings strongly suggest that they want their children to have access to the Internet. Here are specific findings:

• Parents' top three concerns about the Internet are the possibilities that their children will encounter pornography (46 percent), undesirable adults (29 percent) and violent or hate content (20 percent). All other concerns are registered by less than 10 percent of parents. For example, only 4 percent believe the Internet wastes time, only 3 percent believe the Internet is too commercial, and only 1 percent believe the Internet isolates their children or inhibits hands-on learning. Less than 1 percent of parents are concerned that their children will make online purchases or that the Internet will keep their children indoors.
• Perhaps because of their top three concerns, 60 percent of parents whose children use the Internet at home say they restrict their children's use in some way. Among those who do this, the main restriction is to the sites children can visit (37 percent), followed by limitations on the time children can spend online (25 percent). Only 12 percent of these parents restrict chat room use or instant messaging.

Parents are more restrictive of their children's television and videocassette watching than they are of their Internet use. Almost 74 percent of parents restrict specific television or video programs; of them, 39 percent restrict the amount of time children watch television or video programs; and 13 percent limit television and video watching to specific times of the day or evening.

Gaps Between Parents and Children

There are gaps between parents and children in assessments of children's use of the Internet. Overall, though, parents' and children's responses generally parallel one other, even if they don't match exactly. Specifically:

• There is a gap between parents and children about how much supervision parents offer to children who are online. Overall, 67 percent of parents whose children use the Internet report that someone else is in the room while their children are online. Seventy-eight percent of 13- to 17-year-olds say they use the Internet when they are alone. Parents are at least somewhat aware of this (65 percent say their teenagers use the Internet alone.) * But there is clearly a gap in this area between parents' and children's perceptions.

• Seventy-five percent of parents whose nine- to-17-year-olds use the Internet describe themselves as very knowledgeable or somewhat knowledgeable about the sites their children visit. Sixty-seven percent of nine- to-17-year-olds agree.

• Not surprisingly, parents routinely seem to overstate the extent to which their children use the Internet for educational purposes. Likewise, they usually underestimate the extent to which their children turn to the Internet for entertainment. For example, 76 percent of parents of teenagers who are online at home say their children use the Internet for schoolwork at least once a week; 63 percent of teenagers agree. Similarly, 38 percent of parents of nine- to 12-year-olds say their children use the Internet at home at least once a week for games; 45 percent of children in this age bracket say they log on for this activity. These gaps are consistent with parents' and children's reports of what else children do at the same time they are using the Internet, such as listening to music, watching television and talking on the telephone.

• Fifty-five percent of parents think the Internet will be valuable to their children's education and development, ranking it well ahead of television (22 percent), though well behind computers (82 percent).