• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, December 11, 2001

CyberAtlas recently reported on a new survey, "Generation Rx.com," by the Kaiser Family Foundation that found that most teens and young adults have gone online, but differences in access across racial and socio-economic lines still exist. Signs of a digital divide appear as the numbers are examined by ethnic group. One in four Hispanic youths has never gone online, compared to just 6 percent of white youth and 13 percent of African-American youth.

Eighty percent of all white respondents have Internet access from home, compared to 66 percent of African-Americans and 55 percent of Hispanics. Socio-economic disparities also persist: 85 percent of youth from self-defined working class or lower class backgrounds have been online, compared with 91 percent of middle class and 93 percent of upper and upper-middle class youth.

The Kaiser survey also examined how these teens and young adults use the Internet for healthcare information. The study found that 75 percent of young adults have searched for health information. That's more than play games online (72 percent), downloaded music (72 percent), chatted (67 percent), shopped (50 percent) or checked sports scores (46 percent).

The majority (55 percent) of those who have surfed the Web for health information do so just a few times a year, but 39 percent do so at least once a month. And, the survey also suggests that a significant proportion of youth are acting on what they find: 39 percent of online health seekers said they have changed their own behavior because of information they found on the Web.

"The Internet isn't just about fun and games for young people anymore," said Victoria Rideout, vice president and director of the Program for the Study of Entertainment Media and Health at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "We need to pay attention to the quality and reliability of the health information reaching this important audience through the Internet."

Find out more here.