‘The internet is everything.' What it’s like to parent when you don’t have basic computer skills

Up until last year, Sylmar resident Nancy Navarro didn’t know how to check her kids’ grades or schedule online appointments.

She had Wi-Fi at home so her 15 and 11-year-old kids could do their homework on their school-issued laptops, but she wasn’t online herself very often.

The 44-year-old says if she needed to do something, her two boys would walk her through the process.

"I was very behind on the use of computers,” she said.

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Free digital training

But then she noticed that her kids’ school was offering free digital training classes through the local nonprofit EveryoneOn, which aims to connect as many underserved people as possible on the internet.

Navarro took the class and learned how to identify spam, use Google docs and other basic computer tasks. She was also given a free Chromebook from the organization, which will allow her to keep practicing at home.

“Honestly it helped me so much, and gave me confidence as a person and as a mom," she said. “I’m grateful for everything they taught us.”

Ana Manzia, 46, of Pacoima also took that class. She said she already had some basic computer knowledge but the experience gave her the opportunity to grow her skills.

She learned how to share her screen on a Zoom call and take screenshots on a computer, among other things.

“Basically, I wanted to become more independent,” Manzia said, adding that she hopes to take more advanced courses in the future.

Navarro and Manzia’s experiences are reflected in a new pilot study conducted by EveryOne CEO Norma Fernandez.

EveryoneOn CEO Norma Fernandez interviews a woman who participated in a digital skills training course.

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Courtesy EveryoneOn

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The research explores what’s motivating underserved Latina and Black women in L.A., along with women from Milwaukee and the Bay Area, to pursue digital skills training, and details some of the challenges they face along the way. It was published by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.

Fernandez says very little is known about the intimate experiences of women, and specially women of color, who don’t have access to the internet or personal devices.

“I really wanted to glean a more layered understanding of the digital divide from their perspective,” Fernandez said. “They’re the folks who are sitting at the center of the [the issue] and therefore experts on how to solve it,” she said.

Lack of digital skills leaves people feeling powerless

Fernandez interviewed 26 women who participated in her organization’s digital skills training and surveyed 100 others to understand why women are investing their limited free time in these courses.

She said that many participants told her they took the courses because they felt a sense of embarrassment at being dependent on their family members for help with technology. “The internet is everything,” she said.

Many of the participants are also parents and grandparents, who told Fernandez they weren’t able to email their kids’ teachers or help them with their online homework.

“Folks would share, ‘I feel powerless. My kids help me, but they don't teach me,’” she said.

How to overcome barriers

Some of the key barriers she identified are affordability and a lack of a personal computer at home.

Many of the study participants relied on their smartphones to connect to the internet. The ones that could afford Wi-Fi at home are paying an average of $60 per month.

Only 21% of respondents were enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program, a federal discount for low-income families. It cuts $30 off your monthly internet bill and $75 for households on qualifying Tribal lands. (The program will end unless Congress votes to fund it).

She also found that household responsibilities “tend to fall on the shoulders of women,” which limits their ability to participate in these types of programs. 

Navarro said she was able to organize her time to attend classes twice a week for about two months. After completing the course, she says she now feels empowered to use computers on her own and doesn’t have to rely on her kids to help with things like checking their grades.

“We’re all capable of learning something new regardless of age or your economic situation,” she said.