I think a lot of the people here just don't understand how overwhelmed/exhausted people in serious poverty are. In the USA, with enough gumption and know-how it's theoretically possible to get government-provided internet/food/health care and work your way up to a decent career.
BUT that's a very challenging process, and we should still have compassion for people who haven't managed to pull it off yet.
(I have no input on the specifics of this situation though, just trying to provide some context)
I recently helped an unemployed friend with getting healthcare. It was actually incredibly easy and took maybe thirty minutes start to finish - where "start" was "Do you know if I can get health insurance through this program?" And "finish" was having good health insurance with active coverage confirmed on the phone with papers about to be mailed.
- The mom holding an iPhone 12
- Her son playing video games on a large TV then pulling a smartphone out of his pocket.
I think it's reasonable to assume they have internet access, at the very least through their phones.
It's fine to challenge someone's assumptions, but it kind of feels like you're trying to pull a "gotcha" that doesn't apply in this case.