The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 released on January 28, 2025, highlights a growing digital divide among Indian children, despite widespread access to smartphones. The report found that 82.2% of children aged 14-16 know how to use a smartphone, yet only 57% use them for educational purposes. In contrast, a significant 76% of these children reported using their smartphones primarily for social media.
Key Findings of ASER 2024
- Digital Literacy: The survey, which reached out to 6,49,491 children in 17,997 villages across India, focused on digital literacy for the first time, especially in the 14-16 age group.
- Smartphone Usage: Close to 90% of children in this age group have access to a smartphone at home. However, the usage for educational tasks lags behind, with only 57% using smartphones for educational purposes.
- Social Media Engagement: 76% of surveyed children admitted using their smartphones for social media, a significant contrast to those using it for academic purposes.
Gender Gap in Smartphone Ownership
The report also found a noticeable gender gap in smartphone ownership:
- 36.2% of boys owned their own smartphones, compared to just 26.9% of girls. However, both genders had similar access, with 82.2% of boys and 79.4% of girls reporting knowledge of how to use a smartphone.
Digital Safety and Skills
The survey also assessed the digital skills of children:
- Among those using social media, 62% knew how to block and report profiles, while 55.2% understood how to make their profiles private. Over 57.7% knew how to change their passwords, with boys showing more awareness of safety features than girls.
- Regarding digital tasks, 70.2% of boys and 62.2% of girls successfully completed tasks like setting an alarm, searching for specific information, and sharing YouTube videos.
The report highlighted that more than three-quarters of children could perform these tasks, with over 90% of those who could find a YouTube video also successfully sharing it via a messaging platform.
Conclusion
While the ASER 2024 report shows widespread access to smartphones among Indian children, the underutilization for educational purposes reflects the need for better digital literacy initiatives in schools. The findings underscore the opportunities and challenges in harnessing smartphones as effective educational tools, calling for a more focused approach to educational technology. With the increasing integration of digital platforms in daily life, it is crucial for policymakers and educators to address this gap and ensure that digital tools are used to enhance learning opportunities for all students.
