The interactions between computer use and access by adolescents and their computer-related opinions and values are presented in the framework of a "manifold model" of computer interactions. This model emphasizes the complexity and multidimensional nature of the system of variables in which such interaction is embedded. For this study, the association between gender and various usage and attitude variables was predicted by the model and tested with data from a representative survey of urban grade 11 students involving over 3,000 students from major urban areas in all 10 Canadian provinces. Analyses of the data reveal consistent gender differences in access to and usage of computers in each of three usage categories--recreational, home non-recreational, and school--as well as in attitudinal variables associated with computer use in each of the usage categories. The theoretical importance of the study is found in the support the study gives to the multidimensional manifold model as a descriptor of the complex system surrounding adolescents' computer-related activities and opinions. The results indicate that it is inappropriate to make statements about what influences male and female adolescents to use or reject computers without considering the context of the usage. The text is supplemented by five tables and eight figures. (7 references) (Author/EW)