Computer and Internet in Education
123
http://www.futureofchildren.org
The Impact of Home Computer Use on Children’s Activities and Development
Kaveri Subrahmanyam Robert E. Kraut Patricia M. Greenfield Elisheva F. Gross
“I really want to move to Antarctica—I’d want my cat and Internet access and I’d be happy.” —16-year-old HomeNet participant (1995) Kaveri Subrahmanyam, Ph.D., is assistant professor of child development at California State University, Los Angeles. Robert E. Kraut, Ph.D., is professor of social psychology and humancomputer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University. Patricia M. Greenfield, Ph.D., is professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Elisheva F. Gross, currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles, was founding creative director of Plug In! Teen Talk on America Online, a nonprofit enterprise dedicated to developing communication, technical, and creative skills among atrisk teens.
Abstract
The increasing amount of time children are spending on computers at home and school has raised questions about how the use of computer technology may make a difference in their lives—from helping with homework to causing depression to encouraging violent behavior. This article provides an overview of the limited research on the effects of home computer use on children’s physical, cognitive, and social development. Initial research suggests, for example, that access to computers increases the total amount of time children spend in front of a television or computer screen at the expense of other activities, thereby putting them at risk for obesity. At the same time, cognitive research suggests that playing computer games can be an important building block to computer literacy because it enhances children’s ability to read and visualize images in three-dimensional space and track multiple images simultaneously. The limited evidence available also indicates that home computer use is linked to slightly better academic performance.
http://www.futureofchildren.org
The Impact of Home Computer Use on Children’s Activities and Development
Kaveri Subrahmanyam Robert E. Kraut Patricia M. Greenfield Elisheva F. Gross
“I really want to move to Antarctica—I’d want my cat and Internet access and I’d be happy.” —16-year-old HomeNet participant (1995) Kaveri Subrahmanyam, Ph.D., is assistant professor of child development at California State University, Los Angeles. Robert E. Kraut, Ph.D., is professor of social psychology and humancomputer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University. Patricia M. Greenfield, Ph.D., is professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Elisheva F. Gross, currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles, was founding creative director of Plug In! Teen Talk on America Online, a nonprofit enterprise dedicated to developing communication, technical, and creative skills among atrisk teens.
Abstract
The increasing amount of time children are spending on computers at home and school has raised questions about how the use of computer technology may make a difference in their lives—from helping with homework to causing depression to encouraging violent behavior. This article provides an overview of the limited research on the effects of home computer use on children’s physical, cognitive, and social development. Initial research suggests, for example, that access to computers increases the total amount of time children spend in front of a television or computer screen at the expense of other activities, thereby putting them at risk for obesity. At the same time, cognitive research suggests that playing computer games can be an important building block to computer literacy because it enhances children’s ability to read and visualize images in three-dimensional space and track multiple images simultaneously. The limited evidence available also indicates that home computer use is linked to slightly better academic performance.