Teens with no internet are ‘educationally disadvantaged’

A study has found that kids who don’t have access to the internet feel that they are disadvantaged compared to those who do.

According to a study from Oxford University, which surveyed over 1,000 households from across the UK and interviewed over 200 teens and their families between 2008 and 2011, there are substantial benefits to home internet access despite some parents worries about social networking.

The research found that around ten per cent of teens were without internet access in the home with most of those coming from poorer households. These people felt excluded from social peer groups and disadvantaged in their studies as much of their homework required them to do online research.

“We get coursework now in Year 9 to see what groups we’re going to go in Year 10,” said one teen.

“And people with internet, they can get higher marks because they can, like, research on the internet. My friends are probably on (MSN) all the day every day. And, like, they talk about it in school.”

Oxford University research Dr Rebecca Eynon commented: “While it’s difficult to state a precise figure for teenagers without access to the internet at home, the fact remains that in the UK, there is something like 300,000 young people who do not – and that’s a significant number. Behind the statistics, our qualitative research shows that these disconnected young people are clearly missing out both educationally and socially.”

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