Good Things Foundation and Vodafone are encouraging people to clear out their old tech for Get Online Week 2024 (14-20 October) and give it a second life as part of Vodafone’s everyone.connected campaign.
Over 200 million unused devices are sitting idle in British homes, three per household, according to new research from Vodafone.1
Almost a third of people (32%) keep old tech due to security concerns, while nearly a fifth (17%) have a spare phone tucked away in case their current one breaks.
More than one-in-10 (13%) don’t know how to recycle or donate their devices.
Meanwhile, 8.5 million people across the UK are on the wrong side of the digital divide, with 1.5 million lacking access to a device.2
Vodafone and Good Things Foundation are encouraging people to clear out their old tech for Get Online Week 2024 (14-20 October) and give it a second life as part of Vodafone’s everyone.connected campaign.
Vodafone, in collaboration with Good Things Foundation, will also be helping tens of thousands of people get online at free digital skills events across the UK during Get Online Week.
There are more than 200 million old and unused devices gathering dust in British households that could be recycled or refurbished and rehomed, according to new research released by Vodafone.
The study, conducted to encourage device donations during Get Online Week 2024 (14-20 October), revealed that the average Brit has at least two old phones stashed away at home, with more than one-in-ten (13%) hoarding up to five unused devices, including laptops (52%), tablets (37%) and even TVs (18%).
In fact, roughly a quarter (26%) stated they’ve had devices sitting idle in drawers for up to five years, with baby boomers among those most likely to keep hold of their old tech for longer.3
The reasons for stockpiling old tech were as varied as the apps that once ran on them. Over a third (36%) of those surveyed admitted they had simply ‘forgotten’ about old devices, while 17%squirrelled away a phone in case their current one was to break. And a fifth (19%) kept their cupboards cluttered with unused tech for sentimental reasons, like accessing old photos and videos.
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The data also revealed thatpeoplewere unsure of what to do with thedevices they had stashed.Worries about security (32%) and others accessing their old content (21%) put people off recycling or donating a phone – despite more than seven–in–10 (78%) sayingthey’d like to put their old tech to better use.More than one–in–10 (13%)stated they didn’t know how to give their device a second life, with 14%of people thinkingitwouldn’t be useful to somebody else.
Vodafone’s research aims to encourage people to dig out their old devices and donate them to The Great British Tech Appeal, giving them a new lease of life and helping connect someone who doesn’t have access to a device. The Great British Tech Appeal is part of Vodafone’s everyone.connected campaign, which has pledged to help 4 million people and businesses cross the digital divide by the end of 2025, through the donation of connectivity, devices and skills.
Donated devices are wiped, refurbished, reboxed and paired with free data, calls and texts for six months. Vodafone’s charity partners, including Good Things Foundation and Barnardo’s, ensure the devices are then given to those who need them most.
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Nicki Lyons, Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer, Vodafone UK, said: “The wonderful thing about the Great British Tech Appeal is that, as well as helping to tackle digital exclusion by providing devices to those who need them most, it also gives people a sustainable way to clear out their old tech. That’s because every donated device gets a second life or is responsibly recycled, thanks to our amazing partners like Good Things Foundation.
“While our data suggests that many would love to donate their devices, but either don’t know how or are worried about the security implications, it really couldn’t be simpler or safer. Either drop off your device at a local Vodafone store or visit our Great British Tech Appeal website to find how else you can get involved this Get Online Week and beyond.”
While the digital divide exists across the country, areas with large populations and high deprivation have the highest need for support. Data from Good Things Foundation shows cities including Wakefield, Brent and Nottingham are most impacted, with over 15,000 people currently thought to be offline in each area.
Lewisham, Walsall and Southampton follow closely behind. To show the scale of the issue and to mark Get Online Week, Vodafone has released a map of the UK identifying the country’s most affected areas – so that people with spare devices in these areas can help get tech to those who need it most.
The top 15 places estimated to have the most people digitally excluded:
This Get Online Week, in partnership with Good Things Foundation, Vodafone is also aiming to help tens of thousands of people get online by supporting hundreds of free digital skills events in local communities across the UK.
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Notes to Editors
Get Online Week is the UK’s largest and longest running digital inclusion campaign.
* Research conducted by 3Gem of 2,000 people from the UK general population, aged 18+, from 4th to 7th October 2024.
1 Calculated by multiplying the average number of old and unused devices Brits have in their home by the average number of adults in the UK according to the latest ONS report: 3 x 67,596,281 = 202,788,843.
28.5m people who don’t have basic digital skills to get online, 2.4m households can’t afford their mobile phone contract and 1.5m don’t have a smartphone, tablet or laptop.
3People aged 65+ have had old or unused devices in their home for an average of 4 years, with 39% having them for over 5 years.
About Good Things Foundation
Good Things Foundation is the UK’s leading digital inclusion charity. We work to fix the digital divide at a hyperlocal level with our National Digital Inclusion Network – comprised of over 5,000 community partners providing a range of free digital inclusion support, such as:
The National Databank, providing free mobile data;
The National Device Bank, supplying free, refurbished devices to people in need; and
Learn My Way, our free flagship basic digital skills platform, which has supported thousands to get online.
We work in partnership with organisations such as Virgin Media O2, Vodafone, Accenture, and Nominet to deliver at scale, and advocate for digital inclusion to fix the digital divide – for good.
Good Things Foundation believes everyone should have the confidence, skills, support and access to use digital technology, participate in society and benefit from the digital world, with an ambition to partner with 5,000 UK communities and to support 1 million people by the end of 2025.
Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.
Today, Vodafone serves more than 18 million mobile and fixed-line customers in the UK. Vodafone is the largest provider of full fibre in the UK – our superfast broadband services are now available to nearly 12 million homes across the UK.
Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do: as of 1 July 2021, 100% of the grid electricity we use in the UK is certified to be from renewable sources.
For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk.
