‘84% of rural Bengal’s 14-16 age group used smartphones in 2 yrs’
Times of India | 29 January 2025
Kolkata: Over 84% of teenagers (14-16 years) in rural Bengal have used smartphones in the last two years, according to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 released on Tuesday.
For the first time in the nationwide household survey, ASER included a section on digital literacy in terms of digital awareness and smartphone usage among children.
In rural Bengal, while 84.7 % of students can use a smartphone, only 13.4 % know how to use it for specific purposes. In terms of availability, boys are more privileged than girls, but girls know how to use a smartphone better than boys, the report said.
Among boys, 86.1% have a smartphone at home and 71.6% can use a smartphone to perform tasks, but only 19 % can use their own smartphones. Among girls, 83.1% have a smartphone at home and 82.4% can use a smartphone, only 9.5% can put their own smartphones to use.
Across India, access to smartphones was close to universal in the 14-16 age group. Almost 90% of both girls and boys reported having a smartphone at home. More than 80% reported knowing how to use a smartphone (85.5% of boys as compared to 79.4% of girls).
ASER 2024 shows that inclination towards social media is quite higher than performing educational activities, creating private profiles or changing passwords. A total of 76.1% of students, both boys and girls, use social media, while 43.2% use it for preparing education-related activities. Additionally, 49.7% cancel, block or report a profile, 38.3% create private profiles and 45.7% change passwords.
Data shows that in terms of multiple smartphone usages, such as setting alarm clocks, browsing data, watching YouTube videos and sharing, boys outperform girls. Among boys, 69.9% can set an alarm clock, 62.4% browse for information, 85.7% watch YouTube videos and 88.6% share videos. In comparison, 53.3% of girls set alarm clocks, 59.7% browse for information, 82.4% watch YouTube videos and 80.9% share content.
Though smartphone usage has increased, computer availability for children in rural Bengal has not increased remarkably compared to other states.