Digital Inequality: The Impact of Internet Access on Children's Cognitive Performance in China

Yifeng Wan , Johns Hopkins University

This study examines the effects of having Internet access at home on children's cognitive performance by employing a nationally representative survey in China. After balancing factors that influence both having Internet access and cognitive skills through propensity score matching, preliminary results show that children who have Internet access at home score 0.17 standard deviation higher in cognitive test than those without access to Internet. The analysis reveals that inequality in children's cognitive development has been complicated by Internet access in the digital age.

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 Presented in Session 2. Children & Youth