Class and gender impact youth internet use

I read the article on class and gender impact youth internet use from a report in Sweden. According to the article, children are using the internet at younger and younger ages today, depending on their class status and gender. The article stated that children of more educated parents typically used the internet at least once a week, compared to children of less educated parents who typically used the internet on a daily basis. School age children will be known to have some knowledge of the use of the internet, although the article stated that most teachers do not assign homework assignments that require internet use. The article also mentioned that girls typically tend to the use the internet more than boys do for social networking, blogging, sharing personal information, or instant messaging. i found it quite interesting too that although girls seem to use the internet more than boys do, boys still consider themselves more knowledgeable in technology than girls. As i had stated in my earlier blog on the Gender Differences in the Use of Facebook, the use of internet has really become a part of our lives and among people around the world. Social networking has substantially become a big replacement for traditional telephone calls, or writing letters to relatives. I have mixed feelings on the expansion of social networking on the internet. I think it can have a positive and negative effect on children. Twenty years ago, if someone wanted to keep in touch with a distant friend or relative, they would have to call them, write to them, or even go visit them in person. Email has for sure helped with that, but even today, email isn't as popular of a use compared to uses on Facebook or instant messaging. Text messaging is also a big impact on the way people communicate today.
But girls are advancing more in the use of the internet, with the expansion of social networking and blogging and keeping in touch with friends. An interesting study would be to see why girls find blogging and reading and commenting on others blogs is such an interest to them, since both of the past articles i read stated that girls seem to have such a high interest in it.