Over 80% Teens Know How To Use Smartphones, 76% Use Them For Social Media: ASER Report – News18

For the first time, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) has delved into digital literacy among children aged 14 to 16 as part of its nationwide household survey. The survey explored access to smartphones, ownership trends, usage patterns, and digital skills among teenagers, offering valuable insights into their interaction with technology.

The survey found that nearly 90% of children in this age group have access to a smartphone at home. However, there are disparities between states. For example, access and the ability to use smartphones are significantly lower in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh compared to other states. Overall, 85.5% of boys reported knowing how to use a smartphone, while the figure for girls was slightly lower at 79.4%.

Boys Use More Social Media Than Girls

While access to smartphones is widespread, ownership is far less common and increases with age. Among smartphone users, 27% of 14-year-olds and 37.8% of 16-year-olds reported owning their own devices. However, the survey highlighted a significant gender gap—36.2% of boys owned smartphones compared to just 26.9% of girls. This gap was evident across all states, reflecting broader gender disparities in technology access.

The survey revealed that 82.2% of children in this age group knew how to use a smartphone. Of these, 57% used their devices for educational purposes, while 76% engaged with social media in the preceding week. Interestingly, boys and girls reported similar usage for education, but boys (78.8%) were more likely than girls (73.4%) to use social media. Kerala stood out as a leader in digital engagement, with over 80% of teenagers using smartphones for education and over 90% for social media.

The survey also examined teenagers’ awareness of online safety. Among children who used social media, 62% knew how to block or report a profile, 55.2% were aware of how to make a profile private, and 57.7% knew how to change a password. However, boys showed higher awareness of these safety features than girls in most states.

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Girls Lag Behind Boys In Setting Smartphone Alarms

ASER assessed children’s ability to perform basic tasks on smartphones, such as setting an alarm, browsing for information, and locating and sharing a YouTube video. Among children who participated, over 75% successfully completed the tasks, and more than 90% of those who located a video could share it via a messaging platform. However, boys consistently outperformed girls in every task, with the largest gap observed in setting an alarm—81.5% of boys succeeded compared to 72.4% of girls. Interestingly, in southern states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, girls matched or even outperformed boys in digital skills.

The ASER survey, started in 2005, is India’s largest citizen-led education survey. It provides reliable data on children’s school enrollment and basic learning levels in rural areas. Thousands of volunteers work with local organisations to carry out the survey. In its latest edition, ASER covered 6,49,491 children in 17,997 villages across 605 rural districts in India. The survey is organised by Pratham and conducted locally by partner institutions in each district.