internet access

Infographic: Why mobile technology is hurting some students


Research examines the challenges of families who are "under-connected" when it comes to mobile-only internet access.

[Editor’s Note: Read “Infographic: The edtech challenges faced by immigrant students” here.]

Although most children in families earning below the median U.S. household income have internet access and devices that connect to it, they struggle with being “under-connected.”

Ninety-four percent of families surveyed by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, have some kind of internet access and most have at least one device connecting to the internet, but the quality or consistency of their internet access is lower than they would like it to be.

In fact, in the past 12 months from when the survey was conducted, 20 percent of families with home broadband access and 24 percent with mobile-only access had their services cut off due to inability to pay.

More than half (52 percent) of those with home broadband said they internet service is too slow, and 29 percent with mobile-only access exceeded their plan data limits.

(Next page: Why mobile-only access is detrimental to some students)

Laura Ascione

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