'It's a choice between dinner and devices': Millions of children held back by digital poverty

Millions of children in the UK are being held back because of digital inequality, new research has found.

Figures from the Digital Poverty Alliance and Deloitte, shared exclusively with the Big Issue, show that one in five children across the UK are impacted by digital poverty.

This means they may not have access to an electronic device or broadband activity, and they lack digital skills in comparison to their classmates as a result.

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Elizabeth Anderson, chief executive of the Digital Poverty Alliance, said: “Digital exclusion remains a critical issue across the UK, made worse by the cost of living crisis squeezing household budgets and forcing families to make a choice between dinner or devices.

“This digital inequality is holding millions of school children back as they lack access to a device to complete online lessons or homework, causing their education to suffer.”

The latest data comes after major broadband providers have hiked up their bills this month. Major providers including BT, EE, O2, Sky, Virgin Media and Vodafone have increased charges by up to 8.8%.

High prices mean that families can be forced to sacrifice internet access in order to afford other essentials like food, rent and heating.

According to the most recent Ofcom data, around 7% of people over the age of 16 do not have access to the internet at home.

For the majority of people (67%), a perceived lack of need or interest in internet access remained their top reason for not having it. But more quarter of people (26%) cited reasons related to cost.

The Digital Poverty Alliance, which works to eradicate digital poverty in the UK, has collaborated with businesses and charities to provide schools in disadvantaged areas with devices and digital skills training.

Teachers have seen its potential to alleviate financial pressures on parents and help pupils complete their homework, and they advocated to expand the scheme.

Anderson added: “Children shouldn’t be relying on smartphones which are completely unsuitable for learning and are more likely to expose them to online safety concerns.

“Laptops are a learning tool which better protect children from those harms, with safeguarding software that prevents access to dangerous or inappropriate content. We need to focus on giving children the correct tools, like laptops, and understanding that smartphones aren’t enough to tackle digital poverty in schools.”

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