130 million Indian children will be online by 2017
Currently about 40 million Indian children have access to internet. In the upcoming four years, the number of children online is likely to more than triple to 134 million. This can be concluded from a study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
This demographic change poses a large challenge but is also a great opportunity for telecom providers active in the country, especially given that the majority of these children will be using a mobile device as their first point of access.
The study from strategic advisory firm BCG, commissioned by the Telenor Group, looked at the development of online access for children in 12 large, upcoming markets. By 2017, a total of 176 million children will come online for the first time. The Indian market represents more than half of the total, making it the largest growth market in upcoming countries for telcos.
The consultants also warn for the negative side of online access. More than 14 million children may potentially be exposed to harmful online content and as many as 35 million children will experience some form of cyber bullying. BCG recommends governments of upcoming markets to do more to reduce risk, and, in particular, increase resilience among youth.
