Research
Student Device Access Skews Along Income, Racial Lines
A recent study on the "digital divide" among high school students shows improving device access, but persistent barriers for historically underprivileged populations.
Testing nonprofit ACT surveyed thousands of high school students last winter and found that the vast majority of them had access to at least one smartphone (96%) and laptop (87%) at home.
Moreover, the percentage of students with more than one device at home has ticked up since 2018, the last time ACT collected data on the digital divide. Among students from low-income families (i.e., those whose annual incomes are lower than $36,000), 82% reported having between two and four devices, compared to 72% in 2018. Students from moderate-income families ($36,000 to $100,000) also saw an increase to 93% who own two to four devices, compared to 86% six years ago.
However, despite showing aggregate improvements, the survey also revealed disparities that fall stubbornly along income and racial lines.
For instance, only 76% of low-income students said they own a laptop, compared to 92% of high-income (over $100,000) students. Conversely, only 58% of high-income students reported having a monthly smartphone plan, compared to 70% of low-income students — suggesting that low-income students are more likely to rely on smartphones (instead of PCs) as their only internet-connected device.
Black and Hispanic students are also more likely to struggle with internet access compared to their white and Asian counterparts. For instance, though the percentage of students relying on dial-up internet (as opposed to more reliable broadband) is low, Black and Hispanic students are more likely to use it than Asian and white students.
These gaps could have serious ramifications for students, particularly as basic technological proficiency becomes more critical to their success, noted ACT CEO Janet Godwin.
"[D]isparities in access continue to prevent students from engaging in online learning and completing assignments," Godwin said in a prepared statement. "This divide also could affect students' ability to develop digital literacy skills, which are essential to preparing students for the challenges of consuming content in an AI-driven world. We are seeing gains in critical areas of technology access compared to our 2018 findings, but they are not enough to bridge this divide."
The ACT's full report, titled "How High School Students Use and Perceive Technology at Home and School," is available to download here.