Learn about how a lack of equitable access and digital skills development is creating a widening digital poverty gap, with Al Kingsley MBE.
In 2025, that’s mind-blowing. Technology isn’t new but there’s one area that could be a significant contributor to this figure: digital poverty. This is when young people don’t have access to a laptop or the internet at home – or, critically, adequate digital skills. After all, how can you learn and improve your digital skills if you don’t have a personal computer to practise on?
No longer a ‘nice to have’
Digital skills matter. Our personal lives are increasingly managed online, but more significantly, without digital skills, the workplace becomes closed off, as so many jobs are technology-based. Yet 26% of young people in the UK lack access to a laptop or similar device at home and around a fifth of households in England with an income of under £25k don’t have any access to the internet. It’s likely that the adults in the home don’t have a good standard of digital skills either, leaving them unable to support their children. This is the first digital divide.
Study struggles in school
The second divide gets wider as young people progress through their school lives. Yes, they will use devices at school but, when so much of their homework is laptop-based – whether that’s research, writing, creating videos, presentations and so on – this means using public computers, such as in libraries or community centres. Research and writing are likely to be doable, but it’s likely they won’t be able to download the apps they need for video editing or other creative tasks. They must also fit in the work to a time when an adult can perhaps drop them off or collect them afterwards. And let’s be honest, with the best will in the world, often the homework won’t even get done.
Even if there is a smartphone in the home and the student can get online, imagine trying to type a 500-word essay on a phone screen; it’s entirely unsuitable for this kind of task. If this is all they have access to, they will inevitably fall behind, have lower digital confidence or may not participate in lessons – a big price to pay for simply not having access to a personal computer that the school assumes is available at home.
The gap widens at HE level
By the time these students reach the point of deciding whether to go to university, the digital gap has become a chasm.
A recent Digital Poverty Alliance report on higher education reported that, “67% of [parents] agree that lacking a personal laptop or reliable internet access has influenced their own or their child’s confidence or decision to apply to university”. So, regardless of their academic potential, the question of having a personal laptop is preventing highly capable and intelligent young people from furthering their studies. And, again, universities simply assume everyone can afford one. The same report quotes a study of 60 universities undertaken by students at The University of Oxford, which revealed:
- 11 universities offer no laptop loan scheme at all
- Just 6 offer loans of one month or longer
- Most universities restrict loans to less than 24 hours.
For the sake of transparency, some universities do offer a very modest bursary scheme in the region of £500, but “usually as one-off payments”. For students who would love to go to university but whose families cannot support them financially, this is deeply unhelpful.
AI – a new digital divide
Sadly, a third divide is opening, and that’s around AI. Once again, it’s all about the money. Up-to-date AI tools are often subscription based. This week, Schools Week reported that, “Private schools are three times more likely than state settings to have a clear school-wide strategy on using AI”. And on the subject of AI as a study tool, back in August, R.I.S.E. highlighted research into the effectiveness of Deepseek as a study buddy which found, “digital literacy was key; students who understood how to interact with and use digital tools gained the most from the AI support.”
So, those with access to a personal device and access to AI study tools can progress, thanks to the existing digital skills they have. But if you don’t have the technology, you can’t get the skills – the very skills that would help you to use the AI to progress faster.
Can we fix things?
Digital poverty shouldn’t be inevitable if you’re from a disadvantaged background. And with strategic thinking and effort, it shouldn’t be beyond us to solve it.
In a tech-first world (and with a magic wand), there should be a government policy to provide free or subsidised internet connections and personal devices to families who need them most – and better laptop lending schemes in schools, colleges and universities. Another avenue to explore is partnering with the technology sector. Offering device donation/refurbishment schemes for education – and even digital mentoring – could play a part in alleviating the current tech skills gap and encourage students into tech-based careers.
But what about something more radical? How ensuring the ‘big tech’ companies pay the correct taxes and directing funds to devices for students? Or considering laptops in the same way as we do free school meals? Of course, funding and profits are always the sticking point. What’s needed is a consistent, long-term commitment to digital inclusion. After all, we wouldn’t expect a student to sit an exam without a pen, would we?
Improve access, improve quality of life
If online connectivity is to be considered a human right, as many think it should be, then government, schools, higher education institutions, communities and employers must come together to find a solution that provides digital equity for learners, especially now as AI gains traction.
It’s only then that we can start to close the digital divide and ensure that young people have the tools in their hands to determine their own destinies.
