The study examined the effects of internet searching and TV viewing by children in
single-parent households on peer relationship and achievement and found that doing so may narrow
digital divide by increasing access to information and communication technology but aggravates the
achievement gap by enabling these children to devote too much time to the internet and TV.
Previous studies have implied that adverse effects are due to the family structure of single-parent
households and particularly the lack of supervision therein. Theoretically, findings confirmed that
these children's low achievement in single parent families stem from poverty as well as family
structure. From the perspective of public policy, findings suggest that support for single-parent
families include securing social capital