Over 56% children in 14-16 age group use smartphone for educational purpose, says ASER Report

NEW DELHI: More than 57 per cent children in the 14-16 age group use smartphones for educational purposes, while 76 per cent of them use the device for accessing social media, according to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) released on Tuesday. The report noted that more than 82 per cent of the children in the said age group know how to use a smartphone and more boys than girls own one.

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 is a nationwide rural household survey that reached 6,49,491 children in 17,997 villages across 605 rural districts in India. Facilitated by an NGO, "Pratham", in each surveyed district, a local organisation or institution conducted the survey.

For the first time, the nationwide household survey had a section on digital literacy, which applied to older children in the 14-16 age group. It included self-reported questions on access, ownership and use of smartphones, as well as a one-on-one assessment of some basic digital skills. The report said "82.2 per cent of all children in the 14-16 age group reported knowing how to use a smartphone. Of these, 57 per cent reported using it for an educational activity in the preceding week, while 76 per cent said that they had used it for social media during the same period. While the use of a smartphone for educational activities was similar among girls and boys, girls were less likely than boys to report using social media (78.8 per cent boys as compared to 73.4 per cent girls)".

"Kerala stands out in this respect, with over 80 per cent children who reported that they used a smartphone for educational activities and over 90 per cent using it for social media," the report said. The ASER noted that the fraction of 14-16-year-olds who own smartphones is low, but it increases with age.

'Pandemic boosted virtual training sessions'

"Of the children who could use a smartphone, 27 per cent of 14-year-olds and 37.8 per cent of 16-year-olds reported having their own phone. Moreover, there is a large gender gap in smartphone ownership -- 36.2 per cent of boys as compared to 26.9 per cent of girls reported owning their own smartphone. This gender gap is seen across all states," it said.

According to the report, in 2018, nearly 90 per cent of rural households had simple mobile phones and 36 per cent had smartphones. In 2022, the households with smartphones had risen to more than 74 per cent and this year, it has grown to 84 per cent.

While the percentage of children who have access to a smartphone at home is nearing saturation, the proportion of children aged 14-16 who own a smartphone has risen from 19 per cent to about 31 per cent within a year.

"The main use of smartphones during the pandemic period was that of a carrier of texts, worksheets and videos, which substituted for textbooks. Virtual training sessions had become common too. As the pandemic faded away, the digital skills learned during the period sustained, although some of the practices became less important and a new excitement began to build around artificial intelligence," the report said.