It should come as no great surprise that American families are increasingly using technology to keep in touch with each other. A survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that married couples with minor children "have higher rates of Internet and cell phone usage, computer ownership and broadband adoption than other household configurations."

The numbers are quite impressive. 58% of "married-with-children" households own two or more computers while nearly two-thirds of those with multi-computer households have them linked in to a home network. Nearly nine out of ten such households own multiple cell phones and 57% of their children (7 to 17) have their own cell phone.

And for those who worry that technology isolates and pulls people apart, the survey found quite the opposite. The survey found "that couples use their phones to connect and coordinate their lives, especially if they have children at home. American spouses often go their separate ways during the day, but remain connected by cell phones and to some extent by Internet communications. When they return home, they often have shared moments of exploration and entertainment on the Internet."

But there is a somewhat disturbing trend as well. Families with multiple communications devices are "somewhat less likely to eat dinner with other household members and somewhat less likely to report high levels of satisfaction with their family and leisure time than are families with lower levels of technology ownership," according to the report

When it comes to couples, cell phones can lead to greater communications. 64% of couples who both own cell phones contact each other at least once a day and 42% of parents contact their children daily using a cell phone

And, despite the slightly fewer tech savvy families that eat together, the survey found that 25% of respondents "feel that their family today is now closer than their family when they were growing up thanks to the use of the Internet and cell phones, while just 11% say their family today is not as close as families in the past."

And TV viewing is down! 25% of the adults surveyed said that the Internet has "decreased the amount of time they spend watching television" but most say that it has not cut down on time they spend with friends, family or attending social events. Decreased TV viewing is even more pronounced with younger adults -- 29% of those between 18 and 27 and 27% of 30 to 49 year olds.

The 44 page report is available for downloading .