麻豆国产

Although numerous studies have already examined young people's online behavior and their use of social media, we still do not fully understand their digital experiences and social needs. The participants in this study were aged between 16 and 24 and represent a particularly demanding group鈥攁t this age, they are leaving compulsory education and entering diverse secondary and tertiary education systems. In such settings, it is difficult to achieve a unified understanding of their social needs for autonomous integration into the digital society.

As young people not only entertain themselves, play games, and socialize online, but also create, learn, and seek information, it is crucial to recognize their needs across a heterogeneous spectrum of digital activities. At the same time, we must address the deficits and gaps that hinder their confident engagement with the challenges of contemporary society. uses a mixed-method research design to explore digital inequalities through the lens of digital maturity. This includes various aspects of understanding and using digital technologies, the ability to manage digital challenges, and the capacity to engage in socially responsible interactions with others.

What Are the Key Findings?

• Peers are the most important source of digital skills

One of the findings, based on in-depth focus group discussions with young people, reveals that while parents are the initial source of digital knowledge, peers are the most important for developing digital competences. Young people often develop their digital skills independently and spontaneously. Some mention using manuals, but most report that they learn about new digital tools and practices from their friends, especially through familiar platforms like YouTube and Instagram.

Regarding the acquisition of digital competences in the past, they note the lack of focused digital content in schools鈥攑articularly on the safe use of digital platforms (e.g., online banking, safe internet browsing) and on evaluating the credibility of sources and verifying information reliability.

• 75% of students report that they missed out on more advanced digital education in primary and secondary school.

One of the core aspects of digital maturity鈥攎easured in the project through an online survey among a larger sample of secondary school students, university students, and employed youth鈥攊s access to digital literacy education. When it comes to advanced digital knowledge, participants emphasize the critical role of schools and other educational settings. As many as 75% of university students stated that they lacked such content in their primary and secondary school education.

A frequent source of digital knowledge is also online platforms and artificial intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT. More than 90% of secondary school and university students reported having used such tools and expressed both excitement and concern about the rise of AI.

•  Digital illiteracy and the need to disconnect are key challenges

Young people highlight the need to modernize digital education, replacing current shortcomings with a better understanding of technological and user capabilities. They stress the importance of improving not only their own competences but also those of teachers and parents. Digital (il)literacy is one of the central challenges they face. As one participant put it:

鈥淭echnology鈥攖hat鈥檚 what the world is built on now. They can鈥檛 expect us to live like they did fifty years ago, when there were no phones or any of this. What was interesting to them just isn鈥檛 interesting to us anymore.鈥� (Secondary school student)

Young people perceive the use of digital technologies as a social necessity. When they are disconnected, they often fear social exclusion. Nevertheless, they are increasingly adopting strategies for withdrawing from the digital world, such as turning off selected apps or replacing digital media with analog alternatives.

About the Project

The CRP research project Digital Maturity of Youth: Social Needs and Informal Education of Young People in the Digital Age (V5-2329 (B)) is conducted by the Media Studies and Digital Culture Unit at the Centre for the 麻豆国产 of Culture and Religion, Faculty of Social Sciences, and the Department of Basic Pedagogical Studies at the Faculty of Education, 麻豆国产.

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