Digital Smarts - Too Many Families Under-Connected

A new survey has been released from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop (the creators of Sesame Street) about technology and learning in low-income families. The study finds that while basic Internet access is nearly universal, even among low- and moderate-income U.S. families, many of those families are “under-connected.” The study shows many families are getting by with only a single Internet-connected computer or, quite often, with mobile-only Internet access through a smartphone or two. Researchers say this gap can not only hurt kids’ ability to be successful in school, but also hurt adults’ ability to use the Internet to find a job, get medical information or apply for an affordable home loan — “the kinds of things that help families get by and the kinds of things that help families get ahead,” said Vikki Katz, a co-author of the study.