ABSTRACT
With an increasing presence in homes and communities, digital technologies have become part of the fabric of many children's lives. In communities where digital technologies are in abundance, they have changed the way the adults and children relate to and interact with each other and with institutions such as banks, businesses, governments, libraries and schools (Covell and Whyte, 1999; Negroponte, 1995). Within the family, patterns of social interactions, work and leisure are changing through technological innovations such as mobile phones, DVD and CD players, digital and pay television, computers and the Internet (Angus et al., 2003; Covell and Whyte, 1999; Negroponte, 1995). In Australia, many adults now use the Internet and mobile phones daily to conduct both their business and personal transactions (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2000b). The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) estimates that in 2000, 50 per cent of children (5–14 year olds) used the Internet either at home, school or another location (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2003). In the United States of America, the Department of Commerce estimates that 90 per cent of children between the ages of 5 and 17 now use computers, and 60 per cent now access the Internet either at home, school or another location (US Department of Commerce, 2002).
