How children with disabilities experience digital exclusion

The family story included below uses alternative names for safeguarding reasons. 

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In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, you might ask why tech is important, or even essential, in the lives of disadvantaged families.

 

It might be surprising that items like iPads are considered as important or even more important than household basics like food or heating to some.

 

But that’s why the findings in Family Fund’s latest report, ‘Digitally Excluded’, are so significant. Based on a UK-wide survey with 660 responses from families on low incomes raising disabled and seriously ill children, parents and carers told us:

• Almost a third (32%) are limiting their own internet use to cut costs, with some families cutting back on other things like food and heating to afford internet provision
• Over nine in ten (93%) of respondents are either digitally excluded or at risk of exclusion, due to factors like not being able to afford internet access or digital devices and lacking digital skills and confidence
• 89% of parents and carers raising a child who has disabilities are struggling to afford internet access and devices alongside the higher everyday costs that people with disabilities are subject to (now estimated at over £1,000 a month more than non-disabled households) 

 

Family Fund is the UK’s largest charity providing grants for families on low incomes raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people. In 2025/26, we delivered more support than ever before, providing over 295,000 grants and services to families in need.

 

Children with disabilities gain specific benefits from digital inclusion, above and beyond those experienced by non-disabled children – but many of the families who took part in our research say they’re struggling to access these benefits.

 

Families tell us internet and device access are fundamental for their disabled children’s education, socialising, independence, self-regulation, and wellbeing, and those without access are missing out.

 

This is why devices remain one of our most popular choices of grant items, with around one in five families selecting a digital device. This is alongside items like washing machines, clothing and bedding, and other household essentials which would otherwise be unaffordable.

 

 

The cost of digital exclusion 

 

We calculated the rates of digital exclusion in our sample using the Good Things Foundation’s Indicators of Digital Inclusion, which include the following barriers and vulnerabilities:

• Digital skills and confidence 
• Access to devices and internet connection 
• Financial risk 
• Support needs 

As more services are delivered online, it is becoming increasingly important that families have reliable, affordable access to the internet and suitable digital devices to carry out online activities like organising healthcare appointments, managing finances, and applying for benefits.

 

Financial challenges are the most common reason for families to be digitally excluded or at risk of exclusion. Around nine in ten (89%) respondents told us they are struggling to afford the cost of buying, maintaining, and replacing basic devices, apps, and assistive software, with digital devices getting broken or needing repairs more frequently in families with children who have disabilities.

 

A lack of digital skills and confidence is also a challenge for parents and carers when trying to carry out essential tasks online. Half (50%) of our survey respondents have at least one skill barrier, which increases to nearly all parents and carers (98%) in digitally excluded families.

 

These barriers and vulnerabilities add up: 85% of our digitally excluded respondents are experiencing a combination of three or more different barriers and vulnerabilities at once, making the journey to getting online even more challenging.

 

 

The difference digital inclusion could make

 

We also heard from families the positive impact that being online and having the right devices and assistive technology can make. For children with disabilities in particular, digital inclusion is fundamental to learning, communication, and play.

 

Many children with disabilities rely on technology to express themselves and interact with the world in ways that differ from non-disabled children. For the families we support, digital access is a necessity, not a luxury.

 

For Attiya and her son Diyar, digital devices are highly valued. Diyar has complex health needs, including a degenerative genetic condition, autism and diabetes.

 

Attiya explains: “He gets overwhelmed in public places with people around and can be quite isolated. Because he prefers to be in his room, his only outlet is interacting with friends online.”

 

Attiya told us that Diyar’s laptop and iPad enable him to self-regulate, socialise with friends, and do his homework.

 

“Our Family Fund grants for an iPad and laptop were a lifeline. Diyar does all his homework on the laptop, but it has just broken. We’re trying to sell his Lego now to raise money to replace it. Not everyone can afford a new laptop and we can’t."

 

Digital exclusion means that many families don’t have the devices, internet access, skills, or confidence to do essential tasks online.  Over half of our survey respondents were digitally excluded (56%), without the devices, internet access, skills, or confidence to carry out essential tasks online.

 

A further 37% of respondents were online but at risk of exclusion due to financial vulnerabilities, needing support from others to carry out essential tasks online. Only 7% of respondents met the criteria for digital inclusion. 

 

 

What’s next for digital inclusion?

 

Family Fund is part of the Digital Services Consortium and the National Digital Inclusion Network, working to bridge the digital divide in communities across the UK. We support families facing digital exclusion by providing grants for essential digital items and help families build their digital confidence through workshops and online resources.

 

We are also calling upon policymakers, funders, support agencies, and charities to recognise the issues that digital exclusion is causing for families on a low income raising disabled and seriously ill children. Read our recommendations below.

 

Read the report: ’Digitally Excluded’