I’ve spent years advocating for digital inclusion, arguing that Internet access is fundamental to closing development gaps. But new research from the University of Zurich has me questioning everything we think we know about connectivity and its benefits for young people in low and middle-income countries.
The findings are stark and uncomfortable: 3G internet coverage leads to substantial increases in smartphone ownership and internet usage among adolescents, but also results in significant declines in test scores in math, reading, and science, with magnitudes roughly equivalent to the loss of one-quarter of a year of learning.
The Data We Can’t Ignore
Jain and Stemper’s analysis of over 2.5 million student records from 82 countries between 2000-2018 reveals a pattern that should make every digital development practitioner pause.
Students living in areas with 3G coverage are:
4 percentage points more likely to browse the internet daily
10 percentage points more likely to have a smartphone at home
spending an additional 5 hours on the internet each week.
This increased connectivity comes with a price. 3G expansion results in reductions in student test score performance of approximately 0.04 to 0.08 standard deviations – effects that persist across multiple robust analytical approaches.
But here’s what really should concern us in the development community: the negative effects of 3G on test scores are concentrated among non-high-income countries, with interaction terms suggesting that students in high-income countries don’t experience the same detrimental effects.
The LMIC Reality Check
The research reveals several findings that directly challenge our assumptions about digital inclusion in developing contexts:
1. Disproportionate Impact on Vulnerable Populations
Female students and students whose parents have less education exhibit larger test score declines in response to 3G coverage. The very populations we aim to empower through connectivity are experiencing the most significant negative effects.
2. Social Connection Deterioration
Students reported a decline in feelings of belonging and found it more challenging to make friends after 3G rollout. In contexts where social cohesion is already fragile, this represents a serious unintended consequence.
3. The Low-Income Country Trap
The results suggest that the negative effects of 3G on test scores are concentrated among non-high-income countries. This could reflect differences in teachers’ and parents’ ability to utilize technology productively, better parental awareness of potential downsides, or stronger supervision of technology use.
4. Cognitive Endurance Decline
The research points to constant online distractions wearing down cognitive endurance, making it harder for students to maintain focus during study sessions.
Questioning Our Digital Development Orthodoxy
For years, we’ve operated under the assumption that more connectivity equals better outcomes. We’ve pushed for infrastructure investments, celebrated rising smartphone penetration rates, and measured success by gigabytes consumed and devices distributed.
But what if we’ve been fundamentally wrong about the sequencing? What if connectivity without comprehensive digital literacy, parental guidance systems, and educational technology integration actually harms the very communities we’re trying to help?
The research suggests several mechanisms behind these negative effects that resonate with LMIC realities:
Opportunity cost shifts: Mobile internet alters the relative attractiveness of studying versus entertainment
Distraction amplification: Social media and gaming create continuous interruptions in environments where focused study time is already limited
Reduced homework productivity: Increased distraction during homework completion could reduce the productivity of homework time
Toward More Responsible Digital Development
This doesn’t mean we should abandon connectivity efforts, but it demands we fundamentally rethink our approach. Instead of pursuing connectivity as an end in itself, we need to focus on:
Scaffolded Digital Integration: Rather than flooding communities with connectivity, we need phased approaches that build digital literacy and healthy usage habits before widespread rollout.
Educational Technology That Actually Educates: Some targeted educational technology interventions, such as remedial technology-aided after-school programs, have been shown to generate significant gains in student test score performance.
Context-Specific Solutions: The research clearly shows that high-income countries have managed to avoid the negative educational effects of 3G expansion. We need to understand and replicate those protective factors rather than assuming one-size-fits-all solutions.
Measurement Beyond Connectivity: Our success metrics must include educational outcomes, social cohesion, and cognitive development – not just connection speeds and device ownership.
The uncomfortable truth is that our well-intentioned push for digital inclusion may be inadvertently harming educational outcomes in the communities that can least afford it. It’s time for a more nuanced, evidence-based approach to digital development – one that prioritizes learning outcomes over connectivity metrics.
We owe it to the 2.5 million students in this study, and millions more like them, to get this right.
Colombia Introduced ChatGPT: Scores Went Down
On a related note, Rest of the Word reports that Meta when brought Generative AI to rural Colombia, even students in the most remote corners of the country started to fail exams. Rather than boosting learning, it’s getting in the way.
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