Table showing digital access & skills among rural youth (14-16 years) in Nagaland and India. (Ilustrative Image via Generative AI)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 29
Rural adolescents in Nagaland have demonstrated impressive skills despite a contrasting outcome in smartphone access, according to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024. Despite a noticeable decline in smartphone usage compared to previous years, they also outperformed their national peers in various digital tasks, including setting alarms, browsing for information, and sharing videos, highlighting the growing digital literacy among this age group.
Digital Access in Rural Nagaland
Access to digital devices shows a contrasting outcome in Nagaland. According to the report, 95% of rural adolescents in Nagaland have a smartphone at home, compared to 89.1% nationally. This represents a slight improvement from 93.9% reported in 2023.
However, the ability to use smartphones has declined from 97.6% to 82.9% during the same period. The national average for smartphone usage remained relatively stable at 82.2%.
Additionally, of those who reported being able to use a smartphone, only 17.3% of adolescents in Nagaland own a personal smartphone, which is lower than the national average of 31.4%.
Digital Tasks
Rural youth from Nagaland performed significantly better in terms of one-on-one assessment during the survey. A total of 82.7% of 14-16-year-olds in Nagaland could use a smartphone to perform digital tasks, well above the Indian average of 65.9% in 2024. This represents a considerable improvement from 76% in 2023. Youth from Nagaland also outperformed their national peers in three specific digital tasks assigned during the survey.
Task 1: Setting an alarm
A total of 81.5% of rural 14-16-year-olds in Nagaland were able to set an alarm on a smartphone, compared to 76.9% nationally. This was a significant improvement from just over 53% recorded in 2023, indicating strong growth in digital familiarity among adolescents in Nagaland.
Task 2: Browsing for information
Regarding browsing for information, 84.3% of adolescents in rural Nagaland could search the internet for information on their smartphones in 2024, up from 77.9% in 2023. This figure was above the national average of 79.3%.
Task 3: Finding and sharing a video
In terms of social media savviness, 90.8% of rural adolescents in Nagaland were able to find a video on YouTube about a specific topic, while 87% could do so nationally. Furthermore, 86.9% of those who found a video were able to share it with a friend or family member via WhatsApp or Telegram. Nationally, the ability to share videos was higher, at 87%.
The survey also found that 16-year-olds tended to perform better on digital tasks than 14-year-olds, reflecting the natural progression of digital skills with age.
Digital Access & Skills among RURAL YOUTH (14-16 yrs)
Access, ownership & use of smartphones* | Nagaland | India | |
2023 | 2024 | 2024 | |
Have a smartphone at home | 93.9 | 95.0 | 89.1 |
Can use a smartphone | 97.6 | 82.9 | 82.2 |
Of those who can use a smartphone, % who have their own | 19.8 | 17.3 | 31.4 |
% Children who did any Education related activity in the reference week | 74.3 | 51.3 | 57.0 |
% Children who used any social media in the Reference week | 92.4 | 76.1 | 76.0 |
Of those who used social media, % children who can Block/report a profile | 50.9 | 64.5 | 62.0 |
Of those who used social media, % children who make a profile private | 51.0 | 64.3 | 55.2 |
Of those who used social media, % children who Change password | 63.6 | 65.8 | 57.7 |
Digital Tasks# |
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Could bring a smartphone to do digital tasks | 76.0 | 82.7 | 65.9 |
Setting an alarm | 53.8 | 81.5 | 76.9 |
Browsing for information | 77.9 | 84.3 | 79.3 |
Finding YouTube video | 85.7 | 90.8 | 87.0 |
Of those who found video, % able to share it | 81.2 | 86.9 | 92.1 |
*Self-reported; #One-on-one assessment with the surveyed children; All figures in percentages | |||
Source: Annual Status of Education Report 2023 & 2024
Social media use and cybersecurity
The ASER 2024 survey also highlighted a decline in educational and social media activities based on self-reporting. Education-related online activity decreased from 74.3% in 2023 to 51.3% in 2024, while social media use dropped from 92.4% to 76.1% during the same period. Educational activity was higher nationally at 57%, and social media usage remained stable.
Regarding online security concerns, the percentage of adolescents using social media who could block or report a profile increased from 50.9% in 2023 to 64.5% in 2024. The ability to make a profile private also rose from 51% to 64.3% during the same period, both of which were higher than national averages of 62% and 55.2%, respectively. Additionally, the percentage of children who could change their password increased from 63.6% in 2023 to 65.8% in Nagaland, compared to the national average of 57.7%. This suggests growing awareness of online safety concerns.
ASER 2024, the 14th nationwide field-based survey facilitated by Pratham, was conducted in 329 villages across 11 districts (2011 census) of the state. The survey assessed the educational status of 10,056 children aged 3-16 and collected data from 5,652 households.
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