In recent years, electronic games, home computers, and the Internet have as
sumed an important place in our lives. This paper presents a review of the
research on the impact of home computer use on the development of children
and adolescents. Time use data are presented along with a discussion of fac
tors such as age, gender, and ethnicity, which impact the time spent on com
puters as well as the activities engaged in. Research on the impact of comp
uter use on cognitive skill and academic development, social development an
d relationships, and perceptions of reality and violent behavior is reviewe
d. The special role of the Internet in the lives of adolescents is brought
out using data from the HomeNet study. The paper concludes with recommendat
ions for future study in order to better understand the growing impact of c
omputers on our youth. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.