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10/21/96 - 11:45 PM ET - Click reload often for latest version

How many kids are really online?

Few studies have looked at how many kids in the USA go online, but a new study suggests an incredible 18.7 million may have Internet access.

That number - based on responses of 3,255 random adults who said kids in their households "use the Internet at home, school or elsewhere" - "is knocking our socks off," says Tom Miller of the research firm Find/SVP.

The huge figure was part of its American Home Financial Services survey, out Monday. Several recent studies have found about 35 million to 40 million adults use the Net.

Because its survey wasn't intended to focus on kids, "we didn't ask additional questions that would clarify" such a large number, Miller says.

Even though Net use at home and school is skyrocketing, Miller has "some reservations" about parents' perceptions in the survey.

Others agree.

"It's pretty clear there actually aren't 20 million kids going online on a regular basis, but there's got to be something there," says Diana Simeon, an analyst with Jupiter Communications. She'll examine recent research at the company's Digital Kids '96 conference in Washington, D.C., this week.

Simeon suggests a figure more like 5 million, most from home. As for schools, about 50% now have Net access, but only 9% is in classrooms, with up to 17 kids sharing one PC.

Still, Find/SVP's number is encouraging, she says: "If anything, it shows there's a heightened awareness among parents of kids going online."

By Leslie Miller, USA TODAY ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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