Nearly half of UK families with children don’t have the online skills or access to devices, data and broadband needed to participate in today’s digital society, study finds, with expert saying that this divide is an “amplifier of other exclusions”.
Research shared exclusively with the Guardian found that 45% of households with children did not meet the threshold. Families from lower socio-economic backgrounds living in deprived areas and households outside London were among those least likely to respond. Households from ethnic minorities and those with disabled parents were twice as likely to be below this threshold.
The research was carried out by experts from the University of Liverpool, Loughborough University and digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation, with input from other universities. It used a series of focus groups to develop a “minimum digital living standard” that measures households’ digital capabilities and their access to goods and services.
“For the first time, we have a benchmark – defined by the public – for what families consider to be ‘enough’ to feel included in today’s digital society,” said Emma Stone, director of evidence and commitment to the Good Things Foundation.
“Government, businesses and service providers are moving forward with digital transformation assuming that families are also able to engage online. Today’s research shows that this is not true.
Lead researcher Professor Simeon Yates, from the University of Liverpool, said the high proportion falling below this criterion was disappointing but unsurprising. “People might be surprised, because in every series, from crime to romance, people live digital lives – but we know that a huge number of people don’t live in that world.
“Covid has cast a very harsh light on this subject when children have not been able to access education… We are trying to get people to have an adult conversation about this: it is not about “It’s not just about having a laptop, it’s about connecting to skills, employment, well-being,” Yates said, calling the digital divide an “amplifier of other exclusions” in sectors such as health and education.
The study surveyed more than 1,500 UK households to assess whether they met the benchmark, finding that poverty was a key indicator of falling below this threshold, at a time when Ofcom figures show 28% of households are struggling to afford the cost of broadband and other communications services.
The report recommends a “holistic” response to boost digital inclusion, calling on public, voluntary and private sector organizations to think about how they can reduce the digital barriers many face.
Nearly four in 10 households (38%) were struggling to learn online skills, with either parents or children, or both, having inadequate functional or critical digital skills. For parents lacking functional skills (17%), this could mean not being able to set up an email account or make online payments.
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The study found that 27% of households were headed by parents lacking essential digital skills, such as those needed to protect their families from online harm such as scams, harassment and manipulation, raising concerns regarding children’s online safety. A smaller proportion (18.5%) did not fully meet the equipment and services threshold, lacking one or more items of broadband, television or appliances.
Eman’s family of five shared a laptop until recently. It was difficult for her 12-year-old daughter to do her daily homework online, as her eldest daughter, 16, needed the machine to study for her GCSEs. The Yorkshire family recently received a second laptop from the Learning for Life Centerwhich is part of the Good Things Foundation network.
“When we received this laptop, my youngest daughter started studying more. Before she couldn’t do it (as easily), because my eldest daughter used it all the time – her GCSEs are very important,” Eman said. The parent, who has lived in the UK for two years, said it had also helped her develop her English skills.
She said her youngest daughter often used a smartphone, but had difficulty working on the small screen. “My youngest daughter used to wait for her sister until it was late to do her homework, and now she can do it when she gets home. This makes things a lot easier for her and for us too – it put a lot of pressure on the household.