Education represents probably the most common justification for providing digital resources and internet access to children the world over. Yet there does not yet exist robust evidence for the contexts and conditions that support these opportunities so that they can be effectively translated into tangible benefits. Our comparative lens reveals that education is open to different interpretations – from an instrumental concern with employability and growth to more idealist concerns for social mobility, social justice and empowerment. Further, while education is often the focus of digital inclusion struggles, given huge inequalities in region, income, culture, gender, and so forth, it is also often the means by which inequalities are re-produced. The theme of education permits us to address tensions between public versus commercial visions of the digital offer, as well as shared (perhaps universal) versus contextual/local meanings and values, thereby raising critical questions for the public and policy makers about the roles and interests of different stakeholders in bringing about educational opportunities for children in the digital age. We conclude with recommendations for future research as well as guidelines for parents, educators, providers and policy makers.