Videos
(1) World Economic Forum. (29 April 2024). The digital divide is growing. (1 minutes 37 seconds). www.weforum.org/videos/digital-divide-growing/
(2) Shina Shrestha. (22 February 2022). Digital Inequality and Its Impact on Children's Education. (14 minutes 30 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1L5Fck6kpg
(3) Anne Kjaer Bathel. (16 December 2025). The Invisible Code: Closing the Digital Gender Gap. TEDxBerlin Women. (12 minutes 58 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx0a5AEKrq8
Webpages
(1) Asahi Shimbun. (27 February 2025). Tokyo subsidy to support buying smartphones for elderly residents. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15647258
(2) CNN. (12 December 2024). Don’t let AI make inequality worse, says UN adviser. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/11/world/ai-inequality-renata-dwan-spc
(3) Al Jazeera. (23 April 2023). UNICEF: Digital divide hits women harder in poor countries. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/27/unicef-digital-divide-hits-women-harder-in-poor-countries
What It Is
The digital divide is the gap between people with full access to modern technology and those without. In Japan, this is not just about having a smartphone—it is about having access to high-speed home internet, personal laptops, and essential digital skills needed for education and work.
Broader Issues
The digital divide operates globally between nations, as well as locally within different societies. Internationally, uneven infrastructure leaves millions without stable internet, limiting access to remote work, essential public services, higher education, and economic opportunities. Locally, the same barriers appear along income and geographic lines. Low-income households, rural residents, and older adults face high connection costs, poor service coverage, and a shortage of personal devices. Consequently, a student in a remote part of a high-income country like Japan and a student in a developing nation may face the same structural barriers to developing the digital skills and literacy that modern society increasingly requires. The digital divide is rarely about personal choice; rather, it is driven by income, geography, unequal access to infrastructure, and unequal conditions for participating in society.
Other issues include:
The mobile-first shift: Most young people in Japan grow up using smartphones for social media and gaming, but enter university lacking basic keyboard and desktop software skills.
Regional & financial gaps: High-speed fibre lines and 5G cover major cities like Tokyo, but remote islands and mountainous prefectures face weaker coverage. Laptops and monthly WiFi bills are also heavy expenses for low-income students.
Profit-driven telecoms: Private digital companies prioritise building infrastructure in high-density urban areas where profit is guaranteed.
Generational gaps: Older adults who raised families in an analog era struggle as government and medical services shift entirely online.
Which points in the What It Is section and/or the Broader Issues overview do you find the most interesting, and which points do you have questions about? Why?
Do you disagree with any points in the AI Overview? If so, which point(s), and why?
Share your ideas about 1. and 2. with (an)other student(s).
What do you find interesting, surprising, or worrying about Digital Divide Issues?
What do you want to find out about Digital Divide Issues? Why?
What focus do you want to take in your inquiry:
People's individual experiences and perspectives?
Situations and issues in a local community, town or city?
Different actions taken by local or regional organisations and actors?
Law, policy, human rights, political issues, or systemic changes at the national/international levels?
A mixture of angles and viewpoints?
4. What are your starting questions and next steps?