It's now been nearly ten years since the introduction of the small personal computer. In that time, computers have become an established part of the daily lives of many people — at home, at work, and at school. By the fall of 1989, nearly 1 in 3 persons age 3 and above used a computer.

This brief examines computer use by adults and by children age 3 to 17 in 1989. It also takes a look at the dramatic rise in computer use that has taken place since 1984. The data used in this brief come from the October 1989 Current Population Survey (CPS) and are compared to similar data collected in the October 1984 CPS.