Study: 59% of 7,000 children surveyed lack access to digital devices..27% lack AI skills

31 / 01 / 2025

• news
• Sustainable Development

A major new study “The Growing Role of AI in Education” – conducted by the global charity Vodafone Foundation – said that 59% of 7,000 children surveyed across seven European countries lacked access to digital devices and 51% reported insufficient internet connectivity.

7,000 children aged 12 – 17 were surveyed across seven European countries, the results suggesting that the integration of AI and digital tools in schools is now at a tipping point. The report confirms that AI’s immense potential while broadly recognized by the education sector is not yet fully or fairly resourced in classrooms.

The research found low levels of access to internet connectivity and digital tools were a problem for many schools.

The problem was especially notable for those on lower incomes with 67% lacking access to digital devices and 61% struggling to get online in the classroom, compared with wealthier peers, only 51% of whom lacked access to devices or 46% who struggled with online access at school.

Of the low-income children interviewed less than 10% were familiar with the term AI and only 38% knew how to use AI to improve academic performance. This, compared with 30% of wealthier children being ‘AI aware’ and 76% confident in using the technology to enhance their schoolwork.

The report found that 27% of children felt left behind when it came to using AI at school, with those from lower income families more at risk from of the AI skills gap than their wealthier peers.

The research suggested that a digital skills shortage amongst teachers and a lack of focus on AI in schools or education policy is causing the new AI Skills Gap. Most of the children surveyed (74%) believing that AI would play a significant role in their professional lives, but less than half feeling adequately prepared by their schools to engage with this new technology.

A large majority of all children surveyed (74%) believe that AI will play a significant role in their professional lives, but less than half felt adequately prepared by their schools to engage with this new technology. Worse still, only 44% of children thought their teachers were competent in AI usage with more stating they learnt about AI from their peers (65%) than from teachers (55%).

The fact that less than 50% of schools had an AI usage policy in place and 16% of children said their schools prohibited the use of AI completely, is perhaps compounding the problem further.

Students expressed a mix of optimism and concern about AI, with 55% believing the new technology has the potential to make grading fairer, but 46% feared that it might lead to discrimination.

About 49% worried that AI could also widen gaps in academic success.

But there was also a sense of opportunity in the way AI might influence innovation in education too. Many students saw AI as having the potential to enhance their academic performance (52%) and address societal challenges (37%).

Building on this experience, Vodafone Foundation believes that a more inclusive, prepared, and equitable approach is now needed to integrate AI into education.

Vodafone Foundation called on policymakers, educators, and technology providers to empower students to embrace AI as a tool for learning and future success, while developing ethical AI practices to address concerns about safety, bias, and inequality.