Digital skills, online safety and AI, learned together

Training for individuals and community groups, consultancy for organisations, and research into who gets shut out of the digital world, and why.

Learn more about MDG

Our mission is to share digital skills, support, and resources with people navigating a fast-changing digital world, steered by a handful of companies whose profit motive isn't ours.

We start where you are, we learn in both directions, and a real person always replies.

  • Only 30% of UK adults feel able to tell whether an image, audio clip, or video was made by AI.
  • 54% of over-75s have the basic skills to get online, up from 31% in 2022. This isn't about ability.
  • 1 in 3 UK women have experienced online abuse or harassment, rising to almost 2 in 3 among women aged 18–34.
  • 95.9% of the million most-visited home pages fail basic accessibility checks.

See the digital gaps

What we do

Training

Practical, human-led training in digital skills, online safety, digital abuse, parenting and AI, in person or online, with topics chosen for each group.

Consultancy

AI, data and social media policies for businesses, charities, community groups and public bodies: an audit, bespoke policies, staff training and review.

Research

Research on the systemic roots of digital exclusion, using mixed methods and a global network of scholars. Commission a study or work with us on a project.

Training

View all training

Digital Gaps

Access Gap

The access gap is about getting online at all: having a device, a connection, and being able to afford both.

Usage Gap

The usage gap is what comes after getting online: being able to do what you need, and to judge what you see.

Gender Gap

The gender gap is about who gets online, who builds the technology, and who gets targeted on it.

Generation Gap

The generation gap is about age: who grew up with digital technology, and who's had to pick it up along the way, often with little support.

Accessibility

Disabled people are often shut out by design: websites, apps, and services built without them in mind.

Get involved

Share your expertise, organise events, find participants, build connections, or help raise funds. Ways to help

Questions, or a group that could use some training? A real person reads every message. Get in touch

Illustration by VectorElements on Unsplash