Boys Are More Than Twice As Likely To Own Smartphones As Girls: Here's Why It Matters

In the age group of 14-18 years, boys (43.7 per cent) are more than twice as likely to own smartphones compared to girls (19.8 per cent), according to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2023 report, released on Wednesday.

Girls are also less likely to know how to use smartphones.

ANI

ASER is a nationwide citizen-led household survey that provides information about the status of children's schooling and learning in rural India, by focusing on their foundational reading and arithmetic abilities.

Smartphone usage pattern among youth in India

Close to 90 per cent of all youths have a smartphone in the household and know how to use it. Among those who can use a smartphone, 31 per cent have their own devices.

The ASER report highlights that 89 per cent of the youths in the age group of 14-18 have smartphones at home and 92 per cent of them know how to use them.

Shutterstock

The percentage of females who can use smartphones was 89.8 against 94.7 for male, according to the survey report.

"Availability of a computer/laptop in the households is much lower, with only 9% having one at home. Youth who have a computer/laptop at home are much more likely to know how to use it (85%) than those who do not (33.9%)," it said.

Boys more likely than girls to own smartphones: Why it matters

'Digital India' has become a reality in the recent years, especially after Covid-19 had made virtual classes the norm.

With a vast amount of educational resources being made available online, owning and using a smartphone has become irreversibly intertwined with learning.

The importance of technology in education can be seen from the fact that nearly two-thirds of the youth who can use a smartphone said they have used it for some education related activity, such as watching online videos related to studies, solving doubts, or exchanging notes.

BCCL

Further, 25% of the youth are also using smartphones to access online services such as "making online payments, filling a form, paying a bill or booking a ticket."

Owning and usage of a smartphone, thus, becomes extremely crucial.

Learning challenges in India continue: ASER Data

42% children in the age group of 14 to 18 years in rural India cannot read easy sentences in English, while more than half of them struggle with simple division problems, according to ASER 2023.

Further, about 25% cannot read a class 2 level text fluently in their regional language and more than half struggle with division (3-digit by 1-digit) problems. Only 43.3% of 14-18-year olds are able to do such problems correctly.

The reality of basic learning in India is thus contradictory to what NEP 2020 states as the ideal, viz. the urgent need for ensuring that by Std III, children have acquired basic reading and arithmetic skills.

For more information on exams, results and careers, please visit Indiatimes Education.