How Teens Navigate School During COVID-19

Even prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, some teens faced problems completing their homework because they lacked a computer or internet access at home – a phenomenon often referred to as the “homework gap.” And as students pivoted to virtual learning, and later shifted between online and in-person classes, access to technology and reliable internet connectivity continued to be crucial to student success. Pew Research Center's new survey reveals some teens – especially those from less affluent households – face digital challenges to completing their schoolwork. About one-in-five teens (22 percent) say they often or sometimes have to do their homework on a cellphone. Some 12 percent say they at least sometimes are not able to complete homework assignments because they do not have reliable access to a computer or internet connection, while 6 percent say they have to use public Wi-Fi to do their homework at least sometimes because they do not have an internet connection at home. As in previous Center studies, parents’ socioeconomic status matters when it comes to homework gap challenges. Some 24 percent of teens who live in a household making less than $30,000 a year say they at least sometimes are not able to complete their homework because they do not have reliable access to a computer or internet connection, compared with 14 percent of those in a household making $30,000 to $74,999, and 8 percent of those in a household making $75,000 or more. Teens whose parent reports an annual income of less than $30,000 are also more likely to say they often or sometimes have to do homework on a cellphone or use public Wi-Fi for homework, compared with those living in higher-earning households.