Do home computers and Internet access harm academic and psychological outcomes? Statistical evidence from Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, Thailand, and Turkey

Recent research from high-income countries and dated research from middle-income countries suggest that home computers and Internet (HCI) may cause more harm than good on students’ academic and psychological outcomes. We consider the Program for International Student Assessment 2018 data for 15-year-old students in five middle-income countries with low shares of HCI access: Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, Thailand, and Turkey. We find no negative and statistically significant regression coefficients between HCI access and mathematics, reading, self-reported well-being, and resilience scores. Instead, most HCI coefficients are positive and statistically significant. Therefore, we cannot conclude that HCI access harms the academic and psychological outcomes for the students and countries considered in the study.