Nov 19, 2019

The Kids Are Online — and Alright: Unexpected Benefits of Broadband Access

Lack of broadband access is a greater threat to the well-being of young people than too much access. That’s according to new research presented at CENIC’s annual conference in March 2019 by Camille Crittenden, executive director of the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute at the University of California. In November, her findings were published in the peer-reviewed policy journal Issues in Science and Technology.

CENIC’s conference served as a valuable venue for Crittenden to incubate her ideas, present preliminary concepts, receive valuable feedback, and gauge community interest. Each year, the conference brings together CENIC’s richly diverse community, with participants from many education segments, including public and private research universities; public libraries; scientific, cultural, and performing arts institutions; private-sector technology businesses; public policy and government; and R&E partners from across the country and around the world. Participants gather to learn from one another on topics as varied as emerging network technologies and applications to issues of access, equity, and affordability of high-speed broadband. The conference cultivates seeds for new collaborations, new ideas, and new projects.

Read the Article Highlights

Crittenden’s article, “The Kids Are Online — and Alright,” outlines research on unexpected ways that teens, especially those in remote areas with less-reliable or slower Internet, benefit from access to online information and real-time interactions.

Here are a few of the highlights:

• In the US, which is the focus of the research discussed below unless otherwise noted, 95% of teens now report they have a smartphone or access to one; 45% say they are online on a near-constant basis.
• Data from the US and Germany suggests that roughly 10% of recent declines in teen birth rates can be explained by increased broadband access.
• A survey in 2018 by Hopelab and Well Being Trust found that two-thirds of those ages 14 to 22 hardly ever or never feel left out when using social media. The study found no relationship between time spent online and self-reported symptoms of moderate to severe depression. For teens with depressive symptoms, social media was more important for expressing themselves creatively (25% versus 13%), getting inspiration from others (27% versus 13%), and feeling less alone (30% versus 7%) than for teens without such symptoms.
• Among those 18 to 22 years old, 94% say they have gone online for health advice; for teens 14 to 17 years old, it’s 79%. The older cohort is more likely to seek information regarding pregnancy, anxiety, depression, birth control, and stress.
• A study conducted of British 15-year-olds found that an hour or two immersed online every day was actually associated with better well-being than complete abstinence. Negative associations emerge only after participants spend several hours per day with their devices.
• High school seniors spent only two hours per week at parties in 2016, one-third of the time spent in 1987. When asked why, many cited time instead spent on streaming entertainment and social platforms.
• A study in Denver found that nearly half of homeless youth owned a cell phone, and more than 70% used Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family.
• In 2013, two-thirds of Americans ages 18 to 24 engaged in political activity via social networking sites compared with about 40% of all adults.

Source: Digital Health Practices, Social Media Use, and Mental Well-Being Among Teens and Young Adults in the US; A NationalSurvey Sponsored by Hopelab and Well-Being Trust. 2018.

In the article, Crittenden acknowledges contradictory studies and declares that not enough is known about the connections between broadband access and the health of youth. But certainly, she writes, enough is known to say that social media and Internet access should be recognized as promising tools for helping young people navigate the many social and psychological challenges they face in today’s complex and rapidly changing world.

“While many well-to-do parents anguish about the effects of too much screen time on their kids, and how to reduce it, the more serious imperative is to ensure that all young people have the high-speed access they need,” Crittenden writes. “To gain the benefits of an information economy and participate fully in civic life, underserved communities require access to online resources that are possible only through public and private investment in cyberinfrastructure.”

Submit a Conference Proposal

CENIC’s 2020 Conference The Right Connection will be held on March 16-18, 2020, at the Hyatt Regency in Monterey, California. Submit a proposal to present your work to the CENIC R&E community by December 2 and register to attend the conference to discuss and learn new ways that networks can support leading-edge research and create rich educational opportunities for all of our communities. Early-bird registration for the conference ends on December 1.

Watch Crittenden’s presentation, “The Kids Are Online — Unexpected Benefits of Broadband Access for Underserved Youth,” from CENIC’s 2019 conference.

Originally published as: Crittenden, Camille. "The Kids Are Online—and Alright." Issues in Science and Technology 36, no. 1 (Fall 2019): 43–47. Reprinted with permission.

Related Content

• Science Daily and University of California, Irvine: Tech Time Not to Blame for Teens’ Mental Health Problems
• Greater Good Science Center at University of California, Berkeley: Are Smartphones Bad for Teen Mental Health?

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