Locked among inequalities: A study of children’s digital experiences and digital divide during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This article examines children’s digital experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic as a specific aspect of digital divide. Utilizing a survey of 2004 English parents aged 20–55 years, the study explores how various factors – including household living conditions, parents’ sociodemographic status and sociotechnical variables such as children’s usage frequency and intensity, expenditure on technology and parents’ digital skills – affected different dimensions of children’s digital experiences during the lockdown. These dimensions include academic performance, connectivity issues, social interaction, feelings of isolation, problematic use and social support. The findings reveal distinct age-related trends, with older children more frequently engaging in online socialization. In addition, the study highlights a correlation between more favourable household socioeconomic conditions and improved digital experiences for children.