"Smartphone Dependency" and Education

Like most teachers, I have students complete a short survey to better understand their likes, dislikes, and general personal interests. At the top of the survey, is a question that has always stood out to me: "Do you have access to internet at home other than on your cell phone?" Given how digitally connected our society has become, it is a question that I am sure is asked in every classroom across the country.

A recent NPR story, however, highlighted the realities of this question for many low-income students across the country.

How Limited Internet Access Can Subtract From Kids' Education

The story references two recent studies--one from Rutgers University and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and another from the Pew Research Center on smartphone usage in the United States.

Let's start with the Pew Report--which studied general smartphone access and usage. In the report, two key findings stood out as they relate to low-income families and access to internet at home:

• Approximately 13% of Americans with an annual household income of $30,000 per year are considered "smart-phone" dependent--meaning that they do not have high-speed/broadband internet access at home and have limited options for obtaining internet access other than their cell phone.

• Even then, internet stability in this "smartphone dependent" group is extremely volatile. Nearly half of all smart phone users in this group reported that they either repeatedly reach the maximum data allowed on their cell phone plan or have had to cancel their plans altogether due to financial constraints.

The Rutgers/Joan Ganz Cooney Center study focused more in-depth on smart phone dependence among minorities and those meeting federal poverty levels. Again, many of the results stand out:

• Although around 90% of low/moderate income families have internet access at home, 23% of families below the median income level and 33% of those below the federal poverty guidelines are considered "smartphone dependent"--again, meaning they rely exclusively on smartphones for internet access at home.

From the Rutgers/Joan Ganz Cooney Center Study

• Children in this group are also less likely to access the internet to pursue educational and personal interests online. Only 35% of children in this group stated that they often research information for educational or personal compared to 52% of their peers with regular home internet access.

• Like the Pew study, similar trends in fluctuating access are apparent in this group. Among these "smartphone dependent" families, 52% reported extremely slow access and 20% reported that their service has been repeatedly disconnected due to payment issues. 

• Among minority groups, this situation is particularly striking in Latino households--especially those of recent immigrants. Of these immigrant households, 10% report no internet access at all and 41% identify as smartphone dependent. These numbers of smartphone dependence are high compared to 25% of Blacks, 16% of Whites, and 17% of U.S.-born Hispanics below the median income.

So what does this mean for education? Well, as any teacher will surely attest, integration of technology and internet has become an increasingly important part of educational standards in the last ten years--especially with the adoption of the Common Core. In the English Language Arts standards, in particular, students are called to, "...evaluate...integrate," and, "present" information using, "...diverse media and formats"--almost certainly requiring a knowledge of technology. Moreover, the new state assessments to evaluate student progress in California--the Smarter Balanced Assessments--are a computer administered and require a degree of familiarity with computer functions. 

These studies also particularly apply to San Diego given the student demographics. Consider that in the 2014-2015 school year, approximately 60% of San Diego Unified students qualified for the free and reduced priced meals--meaning that those families fall within federal poverty guidelines. Additionally, according to the district website, almost half of SDUSD students are Hispanic/Latino (46.5%) and 26.5% of students are classified as English Language Learners. More importantly (and unsurprisingly), the city of San Diego is home to a sizable community of immigrant families. According to a study released by USC's Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, almost 700,000 immigrants resided in San Diego between the years of 2008-2010--comprising roughly 23% of the population. Moreover, of the children living in San Diego, 44% had at least 1 immigrant parent and 26% of all households were headed by an immigrant adult. 

Thus, given the demographics, the concerns of smartphone dependency should be of special concern to San Diego educators who expect students to constantly interact with internet. While no specific data exists for San Diego, given the city's significant population of immigrant families and of students meeting federal poverty guidelines, it is clear that the issues of smartphone dependency and lack of consistent internet access may be especially prevalent.

Update -- February 16, 2016:

Tonight's PBS Newshour featured a story on school districts in rural communities and the barriers that lack of high-speed internet place on their students. Here is the story:

Questions to Consider:

• What are ways that we can promote and support student access to internet and other technological necessities for school work?

• What other areas (other than academic) are impacted by lack of quality internet access?