In Anantnag, 92 percent youth aged 14 to 18 years use smartphones for social media, 75 percent for education: ASER

Anantnag, Jan 18 (WD):

Smartphone Usage Patterns Among Anantnag Youth Revealed in ASER Survey

Srinagar, Jan 17 (WD): According to a survey conducted by the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 92 percent of youth aged 14 to 18 in Anantnag district use smartphones, with 75 percent engaging in education-related activities and 92.7 percent utilizing social media.

The ASER 2023 report, obtained by Wattan Daily, highlights that 97.4 percent of youth in Anantnag possess a smartphone at home. Of these, 98.1 percent reported being able to use a smartphone, with 98.4 percent among males and 97.8 percent among females.

Among smartphone users, 63.2 percent of males owned their own device, compared to 33.8 percent of females.

The report notes, “Among those who could use a smartphone, 75.7 percent engaged in at least one education-related activity in the week before the survey, compared to 92.7 percent who used any social media.”

While a significant portion of youth used social media during the reference week, a smaller percentage were familiar with safety features like blocking a profile or making a profile private.

“In Anantnag, 73.5 percent could bring a smartphone to perform digital tasks. Of these, 86.1 percent could set an alarm, 93.2 percent could browse the internet, 57.9 percent could use Google Maps, and 94.8 percent could find a YouTube video. Across all digital tasks, males outperform females,” the report highlights.

ASER 2023 ‘Beyond Basics,’ released in New Delhi, focuses on youth aged 14 to 18 years in rural India. In Jammu and Kashmir, the survey was conducted in Anantnag by volunteers from the Human Welfare Foundation.(WD)