Kiddipedia
Written by Caroline McDaid, CEO, WorkVentures
As children across Australia are settling back into the school year, families are readjusting to routines of lunchboxes, school runs, and extra-curricular activities. However, for a growing number of parents, there’s a quieter, more worrying readjustment that they must face: their child is being asked to learn in a digital world without access to the tools required to keep up.
In Australia today, 1.42 million young people do not have access to a computer at home1. That figure has grown sharply from 19% in 2024 to 23% in 20251, an alarming increase at a time where schools, assessments and everyday learning continue to assume digital access.
For many parents and carers, this isn’t an abstract statistic. It’s representative of the thousands of families with children trying to complete homework on a phone, siblings sharing one ageing device, and teens quietly disengaging because participating feels too hard or embarrassing.
More than 523,000 of the young people without access are aged 14 and over1, a critical period when learning becomes more independent and digitally driven. At this age, students are expected to research, collaborate online, submit assignments electronically and develop the digital skills that will carry them into further education and work. Without access at home, many are starting from behind, through no fault of their own.
Even when we look beyond the home, the picture is troubling. 14% of young Australians aged 8 to 25, around 864,000 people, have no access to a learning device at all, a figure that has risen by 10% in just one year1. For these children and young people, the digital divide isn’t occasional. It’s constant.
At the same time, there is overwhelming agreement that digital skills matter with four in five Australians now agreeing that digital skills are essential for future careers1. Parents know it. Schools know it. Young people certainly know it. But belief alone doesn’t bridge the gap when access is missing.
The digital gap is becoming even more concerning as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in education, work and daily life. AI tools are already shaping how students research, write, problem-solve and learn. Yet one in three young people without access to a learning device say they do not use AI at all, more than double the rate of those who do have access1. Those with devices also demonstrate stronger fact-checking habits and digital literacy, highlighting how access supports safer, more confident learning.
In other words, lack of digital access doesn’t just limit participation, it widens inequality at speed.
At WorkVentures, we work with communities who feel this pressure every day. Parents want to support their children, but rising living costs mean devices are often out of reach. Many feel frustration, guilt or worry, knowing how important access is, but unable to prioritise it over essentials like food, housing and transport.
The good news is that this digital divide is not insurmountable.
Across Australia, businesses and government agencies replace their technology every few years as part of normal operations. Many of these laptops and tablets still have significant life left in them. Through the National Device Bank, these devices can be securely refurbished and redistributed to people experiencing digital exclusion, including children and young people.
For families, gaining access to a device can be life changing. Children can complete homework, participate fully in class, explore interests and build confidence.
The National Device Bank doesn’t stop at devices. It also connects families and young people to digital skills support, helping ensure access leads to meaningful, lasting inclusion rather than frustration.
Importantly, this approach recognises that digital inclusion is a shared responsibility. Supporting children’s learning can’t fall solely on families who are already stretched. Nor can schools solve the problem alone when learning continues beyond the classroom.
Some Australian businesses are already showing what’s possible. Westpac, for example, has supported the distribution of more than 50,000 refurbished devices to Australians who would otherwise go without. Community organisations like The Smith Family tell us these donations make a tangible difference for students, many of whom would struggle to complete schoolwork without them.
For parents, one of the simplest things they can ask for is for their children to feel capable and included. Digital exclusion quietly chips away at that. Children don’t always say they’re struggling. They adapt, withdraw, or begin to believe they’re “not good at school,” when the real issue is access.
If we believe that every child deserves a fair chance to learn and thrive, then digital access is no longer optional. It is as fundamental as textbooks once were.
Closing Australia’s digital divide won’t happen overnight. But it is achievable. If businesses and government divert even a portion of their still-valuable devices into community reuse, we can dramatically reduce the number of children learning without the tools they need.
Australian kids are ready for the future. It’s up to all of us to make sure they’re not locked out of it.
About the Author
Caroline McDaid is a social-impact leader with more than two decades of experience across the commercial and for-purpose sectors. As CEO of WorkVentures, Australia’s first IT social enterprise, she leads national efforts to expand digital equity through technology access, skills development and meaningful career pathways.
Caroline is a driving force behind the National Device Bank collaboration – a cross-sector initiative creating essential social infrastructure to support the 1 in 5 Australians who remain digitally excluded. A recognised voice in digital equity and inclusive technology policy, she is committed to helping organisations unlock their own impact by contributing surplus technology and capability to the communities that need them most.
A Chartered Accountant with an Executive MBA from UNSW, Caroline also serves on NFP boards and advisory groups. She lives on Wallumedegal land with her husband, Michael, and their two daughters.
About WorkVentures
WorkVentures is a not-for-profit and social enterprise focused upon transforming Australia through technology, skills and meaningful career pathways. They work with business, government and the for-purpose sector to bridge the digital divide, provide equitable career pathway opportunities and promote a circular economy.
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