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The 2023 GEM Report called for decisions about technology in education to prioritize learner needs after an assessment of whether its application would be appropriate, equitable, evidence-based and sustainable. It is essential to learn to live both with and without digital technology; to take what is needed from an abundance of information but ignore what is not necessary; to let technology support, but never supplant, the human connection on which teaching and learning are based.

Technology should not be viewed as the solution, but as a supportive tool in overcoming certain barriers to education access, quality and efficiency. Given the overwhelming number of technology products and platforms available, governments need to base their procurement decisions on reliable evidence that looks at the long-term effects. The most effective interventions are those that put learners’ interests and safety first, support, not replace, human interaction and are backed up by strong evidence that they are the most effective tool to respond to identified needs. It is not enough to just deliver materials without contextualizing them and providing support. Teachers need to be integrated into these efforts. Positive impact often depends on strong pedagogical alignment and teacher input.

Through this youth report, young people have described what technology on their terms would look like. 

#TechOnOurTerms means to:

Youth and students in all regions called for more affordable and universally accessible technology for education from an early age in order to reduce the digital divide, and for enshrining it in law as a human right.

a. Improve access. Invest in and improve infrastructure for improved access to technology for all. Address connectivity challenges especially for those in low-resource or remote locations. Improve access to relevant, appropriate and safe devices in all schools, no matter their location with computer lab access or ICT hubs. Improve mobile-friendly educational content and platforms in line with the curriculum and implement blended learning approaches that provide on- and off-line resources suitable for all.

b. Make it affordable. Provide financial assistance and introduce innovative ways of reducing internet costs for end users. Overcome the cost barriers for purchasing specialized equipment, such as braille keyboards, through tax subsidies and public-private partnerships.

c. Develop personalized learning approaches. Ensure policies and initiatives follow universal design principles and are inclusive of learners in their diversity, including girls, learners in rural and hard-to-reach communities, indigenous people, displaced populations, refugees and learners with disabilities.

d. Reduce barriers to girls’ access to technology products and services, including through awareness raising and community dialogue to combat harmful social norms.

Young people must be consulted, and their ethnicity, language, socio-economic and cultural background, age, ability and location must be considered when developing and deploying technology in education. 

a. Make education content suitable for the local context, including by being made available in local languages. 

b. Monitor whether it works: Young people in two regions called for improved and increased monitoring of the impact of technology on education and well-being over long periods, including by taking the views of teachers and learners.

c. Train us to use it: Young people in four regions called for digital literacy skills training by developing comprehensive programmes and considering school technology clubs and training workshops. Content should cover online security and privacy, but also technology entrepreneurship so as to align digital skills training with the requirements of labour markets. Curricula should be reviewed frequently to make sure that they are updated and adapted to new challenges and new ways that students learn
…and our teachers: Young people in five regions called for building the capacity of teachers to effectively leverage technological tools and platforms in classrooms, ensuring that these digital literacy programmes focus on inclusivity and personalized learning approaches, covering both technical and pedagogical skills. Free opportunities and scholarships could be provided to help upskill teachers, and better guidelines provided for effectively integrating digital tools into teaching.

d. Collaborate and consult with us! Learners must be kept at the centre of all decisions on the design, implementation and evaluation of technology used in education to ensure that it is appropriate. Young people in three regions called for multistakeholder approaches to designing and implementing technology in education between educational institutions, technology companies, governments, NGOs, donors, youth and local communities. Improved regional collaboration is needed to enable knowledge exchange, including on effectiveness of solutions and pilot programmes. Youth initiatives should be recognized, supported and expanded so that youth associations or groups can be drivers of appropriate technological development and innovation.

e. Protect us: Technology in education will never be appropriate if it is not safe and does not protect young people’s well-being. Governments must create strict policies, guidelines or protocols based on digital ethics to prevent violence, misinformation, biased data sources, data privacy violations and cybercrime. They should fund youth civil society organizations to act as watchdogs. Awareness campaigns and cybersecurity workshops should be created to teach about online privacy and security. Online safety modules should be integrated into curricula. Time outs, offline activities and well-being checks should be applied in schools to minimize screen time and its impact.

The GEM Report, in partnership with Restless Development, mobilized youth globally to inform this youth edition. Building on the findings from youth consultations in the run-up to the RewirED Summit in 2021, a series of eight youth-led regional consultations was organized between 2023 and 2024, which brought together more than 1,500 young people to better understand the challenges and opportunities faced by young people from around the world when using technology in education and to hear their recommendations for reform.

In addition, a global survey of more than 500 youth and students identified the need for technology in education to be equitable and appropriate as their two priorities among the four 2023 GEM Report recommendations.