YOUTH X TECHNOLOGY

The Unboxing Tech Toolkit

EXPLORE

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[NEW MODULE]

Unboxing Internet Infrastructures:
The environmental costs of the internet and what you can do about it

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The youth are the largest group online

Today, 45% of the world’s internet users are below the age of 25. Young people are increasingly living their lives in the digital domain, as education, entertainment, social life and commerce become online activities, a trend exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Technology is non-neutral

Understanding that technology is not neutral, but embodies values -those of its makers,promoters, users and the environment in which they are deployed is crucial. Unboxing Tech Toolkits use a structured framework to uncover what a product design

assumes about users, what the design seeks to accomplish and what it assumes about human

nature and purpose.

We need to reflect on our relationship with technology devices

As mobile penetration and the internet become more accessible in the Global South countries, the ubiquitousness of devices is also resulting in an increase in device addiction and effects on physical, emotional and psychological health of young people. In our work with young students aged between 13-18 in India, we found that the average time spent devices was eight hours a day. This calls for the need of a more reflective relationship with tech devices.

Why this project

Let's break down tech- starting with the smartphone

Where does the smartphone come from? Who designs it? Is is designed for addiction? How can it change behaviour, habits, sleep, eating, friends and relationships? How can we imagine a better tech future- beginning with the smartphone? Let's find out together through the toolkits.

We need to empower youth for the digital age

With the young becoming the biggest group in the infosphere, it becomes crucial to empower them with the knowledge and skills to manage their relationship with technology. This project uses toolkits to inform, enable reflection, and create strategies to enable a better human-tech relationship.

Multimedia resources can help empower and educate

We believe in using multimedia projects to share knowledge and information about topics which are essential for young people. These toolkits combine information, graphics, activities, and tools in order to create experiences which can be enjoyed personally or in groups, administered in classrooms or in communities outside, and adapted across various social contexts easily.

Global Impact

To ensure accessibility and regional relevance, the toolkit and facilitator guides are translated into multiple Asia-Pacific languages by involving translators, educators, and youth contributors. Implementation culminated in a series of workshops delivered in India, Cambodia, and the Philippines, reaching over 410 participants across diverse audience groups, including high school and university students, young professionals, educators, and civil society actors. These workshops enabled hands-on engagement with the toolkit, facilitated discussions on the environmental costs of internet infrastructure, and generated valuable feedback on the materials. Pre and post-workshop evaluations were administered using a likert survey. When data from all the workshops were analysed together, the results show a positive learning impact. See the impact of workshops conducted in individual countries below.

India

A total of 135 youth participants (ages 13–18) were reached through 3 in-person youth workshop sessions conducted in India across two educational institutions. When data from all three workshops is analysed together, the results show consistent impact. The pre-workshop average score across participants from all 3 workshops was approximately 3.2 on a 5 point Likert scale, which increased to 4.2 post-workshop. This represents an absolute improvement of one full point and corresponds to approximately 52% of the maximum possible measurable improvement. The findings indicate that the workshops were effective in strengthening students’ understanding of digital infrastructure, environmental impacts of technology use, and motivation to adopt more sustainable digital behaviours. The consistency of results across different schools suggests effective learning across diverse contexts.