COVID-19 risks widening inequalities caused by digital exclusion, but also acts as a catalyst to accelerate digital inclusion efforts.

• People who are digitally excluded may struggle to purchase often vital goods and services, look after their health and socially interact within the safety of their homes.
• If digital exclusion, often associated with social exclusion and poor health, is not tackled, there is a risk that existing health inequalities could increase.
• But COVID-19 has also created a chance to address digital exclusion. Innovators in business and local government have adapted fast to support those digitally excluded by:
  • Making their products and services more inclusive and actively considering the needs of their most vulnerable users;
  • Adapting products to make them safely useable during COVID-19;
  • Directly addressing barriers to digital inclusion in the community.
• The crisis is also challenging a common belief and a key barrier to digital inclusion – that digital tech is not useful.
• But the lack of coordination behind efforts to tackle digital exclusion risks leaving many behind. To prevent this, national and local government could work together to:
  • Actively encourage the adoption of the most useful tech;
  • Help disadvantaged groups to master digital skills;
  • Create a nationally co-ordinated volunteer service to achieve this – making use of the numerous NHS volunteers who have yet to be called into action.

Author: Sophia Dimitriadis
This commentary has been supported by the ILC Partners Programme.