I agree with the main point in this story, that parental involvement is definitely necessary to help push kids in the right direction when using new technology. This is true for pretty much anything kids can get their hands on. No matter what the device or tool is kids will abuse it for their own enjoyment. Sometimes that abuse is beneficial and sometimes it hurts them as is the case with computers. However the Romanian study, like many other studies, cannot give you a complete picture of the benefits that having a computer bestows upon the user.
I was 12 when my Dad bought us out first computer, a 486 with 8mb of RAM. Before that time I was using a word processor for writing reports. The new computer didn't give me anything new in the way of academics. The internet was just beginning, and writing reports was exactly the same, although now I had a fancy laser printer instead of the Dot matrix style printing of a word processor. I primarily used my computer for games, and AOL connectivity when I finally got my 14.4 modem. I may have even had the same stats that these Romanian kids had with their computer in terms of less time watching tv and doing homework but what the computer did give me was familiarity with the technology and a no fear attitude when it came to discovering all that this new technology had to offer. I learned about file formats and programs to run them by looking at lo-res partially nude pictures of entertainment stars that I received from a friend on a 3.5" floppy. I learned about hardware architecture when my computer crapped out because of a busted power supply. I familiarized myself with DOS and software installation as I made the jump from Windows 3.1 to 95, and I learned about web pages from the horrendous web page builder on AOL...version 3.0.
These are all things that are not measured in a survey but which all contributed to my semi-expertise with computers today, 15 years later. The point is there are benefits that can't be readily measured by a survey, parents, or even the kids that are using the devices that may pop up years from now. Because a kid is playing solitaire and sharing .mp3's on a LAN network and not writing the introduction to his Master's thesis does not mean that the computer is being totally misused. Also, who had the bright idea to ask children if using this computer made them more open to going to college? What kind of answer do you expect to receive from a kid who just found and loves Minesweeper?
