| Chapter 2: | Background |
Figure 1. Internet Use among Children at Home / any Location, 2001 as a Percent of U.S. Population
Source : U.S. Department of Commerce, 2002, p. 44.
The data in Figure 1 indicates the younger generations are by far the ones most likely to be using the Internet. The national average for all Internet use has exceeded half of all Americans. The group with the highest use was the 18 to 24 year olds, just beyond the scope of this study. The 10- to 13-year-old group and the 14- to 17-year-old group are the students of concern in this study. Their use of the Internet at home was 55.1% and 61.4%, respectively, in 2001.
Further analysis of the location where the Internet is being used is provided in Figure 2. For the 14 to 17 year olds, most students are using the Internet both at home and at school, 42.8% of the total. This does not hold true to the 10 to 13 year olds, of whom only 32.9% use the Internet both at home and at school. It should be reasonable to question if that has changed since the 2001 publication of this research. Those who used the Internet only in school, 12.8% and 12.6%, respectively, are both smaller groups than those who use the Internet only at home, 18.7% and 18.6%.