Study: Internet use can lift poor kids

A 16-month study by Michigan State University found that low-income children who spent more than 30 minutes per day on the Internet experienced improved grade point averages and scores on standardised reading tests. Researchers also found that the Internet did not cause harm either in terms of the kids' psychological well-being or the amount of time they spent with families and friends.

These findings contradict a controversial 1998 study by Carnegie Mellon University that concluded that spending a lot of time on the Internet leads to increases in loneliness and a decline in overall psychological well-being for children and others.

The Michigan State study, funded by the National Science Foundation, provided computers, Internet access, and technical support to 90 low-income families in the Lansing, Michigan, USA area. Researchers tracked their Internet usage and conducted periodic surveys and home visits. While kids apparently spent some time looking at pornography, playing online games, and downloading music, they tended to use the Internet in large part to research school projects or gather information about hobbies and interests.Note: According to the HomeNetToo site, the paper "Does Internet use influence the academic performance of low-income children? Findings from the HomeNetTooproject" by L.A. Jackson, A. von Eye, F. A. Biocca, G. Barbatsis, Y. Zhao, and H. E. Fitzgerald (2003) has been submitted to the First Latin American World Wide WebConference: Empowering the Web to be held in Santiago, Chile, November 10-12 2003. As of this writing, the paper is not yet published.