Computer-based technologies have become pervasive in our society. Children, and even more so adolescents, have grown to think of the Internet, along with the computers used to surf it and the many platforms meant for game playing, as toys. Supporters of the new technologies point to their potential to educate and to impart skills that will be useful later on in life. Others view the overuse of the Internet and gaming as a harmful addiction. The truth most likely falls in between these two viewpoints. Yet with the exception of investigations into the negative impact of violence (whether on television or in video games), there has been scant research into the positive and negative effects of technology and computers on our nation's youth. In this exploratory project, the PI will seek to determine which factors are responsible for making technology helpful to adolescents and which are detrimental. To this end, adolescents will be asked to participate in a couple of anonymous Internet surveys. One of these surveys will seek to establish the relationship between frequency of use and content of use (gaming, e-mail, educational games, etc.) with a variety of factors such as interest in science, grades, individual psychological characteristics (risk-taking, social influences from friends, psychological well-being, self-control, etc.), engagement in sports or other physical activity, injuries related to computer use, parental monitoring of and limits on computer use, regular bed time and how much sleep per night, cigarette use, alcohol use, height, weight, age, and gender. In a second survey the PI will examine the positive aspects of social networking websites (e.g., Facebook and MySpace) for adolescents with disabilities, who are chronically ill, and who are recovering from major surgery or disabling injury; among other things, participants will be asked what improvements would better serve their needs on social networking sites. The adolescent surveys will be supplemented with parental versions for parents of adolescents.
Broader Impacts: This research will provide much needed insight into how computers are affecting our nation's youth. Project outcomes will enable scientists to advise parents and others how to best use technology with adolescents, and will also inform designers how to create better and more inclusive systems in the future.
