A recent survey has shown that nearly 90 per cent of Indian youth aged 14 to 18 have access to smartphones within their households and are capable of using them. However, the findings also highlight a significant gender disparity in digital literacy, with girls being less likely than boys to own or know how to operate smartphones or computers. These results are drawn from the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2023 Beyond Basics survey, which focuses on education and digital access across rural India.

Conducted in 28 districts across 26 states, the survey reached a total of 34,745 young people aged 14-18. Each major state had one rural district included in the study, with the exception of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, where two districts were surveyed. Released in 2024, the report provides a comprehensive overview of rural education and children’s access to digital tools.
One of the key insights from the report is the clear digital literacy divide between boys and girls. Boys consistently displayed greater proficiency in using smartphones and computers. Notably, 43.7 per cent of boys owned a smartphone, compared to just 19.8 per cent of girls.

This gender gap extended to awareness of online safety as well. While 90.5 per cent of all youth reported using social media in the week leading up to the survey, boys (93.4 per cent) were more likely than girls (87.8 per cent) to use these platforms. Worryingly, only about half of the youth surveyed were familiar with online safety settings, with boys again demonstrating a better understanding than girls.
The survey also assessed the ability of young people to perform specific digital tasks, such as searching for particular videos on YouTube, sharing videos with friends, using Google Maps, setting alarms, and looking up information online. In each task, boys outperformed girls.

When asked to bring a smartphone with good connectivity for the digital skills assessment—whether their own, a family member’s, or a neighbour’s—over two-thirds of the youth managed to do so. However, boys (72.9 per cent) were more likely than girls (62 per cent) to bring a smartphone.
Approximately two-thirds of the young people reported using smartphones for educational purposes, such as watching study-related videos, solving academic queries, or sharing notes. Among those not currently enrolled in school, a quarter still engaged in educational activities through their smartphones.

Despite the widespread access to smartphones, the survey underscores the persistent digital divide between boys and girls. Closing this gap is essential to ensuring equal opportunities for all in the increasingly digital world.
Despite widespread access to smartphones, the survey underscores that the digital divide between boys and girls remains a significant challenge in achieving equal opportunities for all.
