The rise in mobile phone usage in rural India is a positive sign. The gadget opens up windows of learning that can improve lives. However, this progress comes with its own set of challenges.
It has raised concerns for the young, especially for children aged 14-16. While using mobile phones enhances education through digital modes, prolonged usage of the gadget can lead to negative consequences. It can hinder cognitive growth, decrease physical activities, and overexpose children to inappropriate content. The solution is to use the device in moderation, and parents have to play a crucial role.
According to the Annual Status Education Report 2024 (ASER 2024) released on January 28, 2025, the picture is optimistic. The report mentions how the digital revolution made its way into the rural belts of India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Undertaken by Pratham, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), ASER 2024, a nationwide rural household survey, covered 6,49,491 children across 17,997 villages spread over 605 rural districts of India.
Smartphones
In 2018, nearly 90% of rural households had basic mobile phones, and 36% owned smartphones. In 2022, over 74% of households in the rural belt of India owned smartphones, and this number rose to 84% in 2024.
While the percentage of children with access to a smartphone at home has neared saturation, the proportion of children aged 14-16 who own a smartphone rose from 19% in 2023 to 31% in 2024.
During the pandemic, smartphones primarily carried texts, worksheets, and videos, which were substituted for traditional textbooks. Virtual training sessions became common, too. As the pandemic faded, the digital skills learned during the period were sustained.
The best promise of the digital revolution was in the open and continuing education domain for the underprivileged.
Key Findings (National Level)
Nearly 90% of teens aged 14-16 have a smartphone at home. 85.5% of boys and 79.5% of girls said they knew how to use a smartphone. However, only 27% of 14-year-olds, 31.2% of 15-year-olds, and 37.8% of 16-year-olds owned a smartphone. A gender gap is evident, too, with 36.2% of boys having a smartphone as against 26.9% of girls.
Regarding usage patterns, the report details that 82.2% of children aged 14-16 claimed to know how to use a smartphone. 57% used their smartphones for educational activities. While 76% used it for social media, boys (78.8%) were more active than girls (73.4%).
Digital Safety
As far as digital safety awareness is concerned, the report states that only 62% of children knew how to block/report profiles, 55.2% knew how to make their profiles private, and 57.7% changed their passwords. Boys had a higher awareness of safety features than girls.
Digital Tasks on a Smartphone
The ASER 2024 reports on digital skills assessment too. On the day of the survey, 65.9% of children could perform digital tasks (Boys: 70.2%, Girls: 62.2%), 76.9% of children (Boys: 81.5%, Girls: 72.4%) could set an alarm: 79.3% children could browse the internet to locate information (Boys: 81.1%, Girls: 78.6%). Overall, 87.0% of children (Boys: 88.4%, Girls: 85.7%) could find a YouTube video, and almost 92.1% of the overall children (Boys: 93.6%, Girls: 90.5%) could share a YouTube video.
High and Low
The ASER 2024 also releases state-wise details of digital literacy, providing insights on the number of children with a smartphone in their homes, children who can use smartphones, social media usage among children, and so on.
Haryana and Andhra Pradesh had the highest usage of smartphones for educational activities, with 66.1%. Bihar (82.5%) and Odisha (83.5%) had the lowest availability of smartphones at home compared to other states.
ASER 2024 reports on the access and use of digital devices, especially smartphones, by children aged 14, 15, and 16 in rural India. The results are presented for boys and girls and compared with the national averages for each state. We have taken the top and bottom five States on availability, use, and skills in using a smartphone during the survey week.
Conclusion
The report states that while smartphone access has improved, there is a gender and regional disparity concerning ownership and digital literacy skills. Boys have the upper hand in terms of social media usage and smartphone usage.
Kerala and Sikkim took a front seat when it came to digital safety; West Bengal was found to be the least equipped to tackle digital crimes. Though there is a great deal of knowledge on digital literacy and safety skills, there is a need to spread more awareness through various programmes.
Copy Editor: S. Vishnu Sharmaa