What Works

Volume 32, Number 2, December 2004

Ken Haycock

Bridging the Digital Divide

Research Finding:
The digital divide is now less about basic access to equipment and the Internet than meaningful access to relevant content by technologically literate young people with greater “digital opportunities.”

Comment:
It is inaccurate to believe that the digital divide has been closed for children and young adults.

Low income and minority youth still have poorer access to technology than others.

More children from minorities, from impoverished homes and with disabilities used their public library for access to online resources than other children ages 5-17.

A majority of young people from higher income homes use their home computers for word processing, while a minority of young people from diverse backgrounds and lower income families use them for this purpose.

The issue of the digital divide is becoming more complex:

There is basic access: young people’s ability to get to a wired computer somewhere, at some time.

There is quality of access: some homes have high-speed connections while others do not; some schools and libraries have fewer computers to share.

There is the level of technological literacy: knowing what to use and how to use it; and the capacity to learn more applications.

Together, these criteria provide a richer picture of the digital divide than simply whether a youngster has ever used the Internet.

Inequities in this more meaningful access have implications for children’s educational and economic opportunities. Meaningful online access for young people needs to be integrated into federal policy objectives.

Source:
Children, the digital divide and federal policy. (September, 2004.) Washington, DC: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Publication #7090. www.kff.org.