Open AccessThe impact of guardian's usage of the Internet on children's cognitive skills
Author(s) -
Zhou Guangsu,
Guo Keyi
Publication year - 2023
Publication title -
international studies of economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2831-3224
DOI - 10.1002/ise3.34
Subject(s) - guardian , microdata (statistics) , the internet , cognition , cognitive skill , digital divide , investment (military) , rural area , psychology , legal guardian , business , economics , sociology , political science , computer science , demography , world wide web , census , law , population , neuroscience , politics , macroeconomics
In the digital age, the internet has become an essential source of information gathering and maintains a network of social contact. In this paper, we use microdata from the China Family Panel Studies to examine the effects of guardian's internet use on teenager's cognitive skills. Using mobile internet users and base station density as instruments, we found that guardian's internet use had a significant impact on teenager's cognitive abilities as measured by math and verbal tests. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact is more substantial for guardians in rural areas and less‐educated guardians. Further exploration of the mechanism shows that internet usage affects cognitive skills through monetary investment, time investment, and parental environment. The result suggests that promoting internet usage for less educated families in rural areas can potentially improve children's academic performance and decrease inequality across regions and generations.