ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the role of computers in the lives of children and adolescents. Social scientists and educators have predicted that computers are inherently interesting and motivating to children. The chapter provides four studies that suggest the most typical children and adolescents are indifferent to computers, regardless of gender and social economic status. Social factors are a primary determinate of children's beliefs and behaviors. Interests are shaped by the beliefs and behavior of children's peers and parents and by children's perceptions of the role models they encounter. From a social cognitive point of view, it is quite likely that children's interests in computers are determined by their social world, rather than by the characteristics of the computer per se. According to social cognitive theory such role models have a major impact on children's interests and behavior. The results of the four studies suggest that computers are not having a large impact on the social life of typical children and adolescents.
