Digital literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information using digital technologies. It includes critical thinking, online safety, and effective use of tools for learning and collaboration. For students, digital literacy is essential for academic success, responsible online behaviour, and future career readiness.

From debates around regulating addictive smartphone use for young people, to the accelerating power of AI, to the ever-increasing digitization of daily life, it's clear we live in a fundamentally digital world. As such, it is more important than ever for young people to develop not only traditional literacy, but also digital literacy.

This blog explores digital literacy and gives practical tips for how young people can build this skill and leverage it for US university applications.

What Is Digital Literacy?

What does it mean to be digitally literate? This isn’t just about adroitness with digital formats, but also encompasses a sense of discernment and insight. Today’s young people need to know how to discriminate between real and fake news, avoid increasingly elaborate digital scams, navigate relationships in the digital sphere, and use digital tools as part of learning.

An article from University World News defines digital literacy as:

“finding, creating, selecting, and distributing content using emerging digital technologies,”
as well as the ability to identify credible sources, effectively research online, and use online tools for collaboration.

As more and more of life is becoming digitised — including commerce, banking, and professional and personal communication — people need to be able to engage with diverse forms of digital content using various technologies, in all spheres of life.

Essential Digital Literacy Skills for Secondary School Students

Building a strong, specific digital skill set is also a great idea for secondary school students.

Below are some great ways to do this:

1. Leverage resources to create digital products.

School IT courses, as well as library resources and opportunities, can be useful for understanding how to utilise cloud-based platforms, keep tidy files, and use common formats like PDFs and spreadsheets can help students with coursework and set them up with key workplace skills.

• Try free online courses and MOOCs (found on platforms like Coursera, edX, FutureLearn, and Khan Academy) to build digital skills.
• Take part in extracurriculars with a digital component, like school media teams, coding clubs, or robotics.
• Picking up part-time work or volunteering: using digital tills, managing online orders, or using online communication like email or business WhatsApp all build digital skills.

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Why Is Digital Literacy Important for Teenagers?

Young people spend hours a day online, interacting with news and social media content. Although readers of print media still needed to look out for bias and the mixing of opinion and fact, the advent of digital media means that we are exposed to even more — and more readily and instantly available — media. Therefore, consumers need to be especially discerning.

To evaluate what they read, students can ask themselves:

• Is this content biased?
• Is this content fact or opinion?

To answer these questions, they should not only rely on their own judgement, but also cross-reference information from various sources — including online and offline news outlets, periodicals, books, and discussions and resources encountered at school — to get an overview of the landscape of views on a certain topic.

This is particularly important when encountering:

• ‘Fake news’
• ‘Filter bubbles’ (the tendency for online algorithms to provide new content similar to what individuals have previously browsed, which can isolate them from diverse perspectives)

Not only will doing the above help young people build their digital literacy: research skills like these, involving consulting a range of sources and assessing their reliability, will be crucial at university level.

Digital Literacy in Education and University Applications

Another way to build digital literacy that will also be helpful at university is to cultivate responsible digital citizenship.

US universities often look at applicants’ social media presence, and international students may have their social media reviewed as a condition of obtaining their student visas. Therefore, it is important to:

• Curate a positive, professional online presence
• Be mindful of privacy settings
• Be aware of the seriousness of things like cyberbullying
• Use online tools  in a respectful way, viewing the digital environment as just as important as offline environments like the classroom.

Online content is permanent, and a video posted after a party as a joke amongst friends has the potential to negatively impact future opportunities.

Avoiding negative digital behaviour is important, but responsible use of digital platforms is a helpful skill as well. LinkedIn is great for professional networking, and can be useful when looking for internships and work experience. Politely reaching out to people whose work they admire can be a great way for students to understand how to prepare for their own careers.

How to Build Strong Digital Literacy Skills for the Future

As secondary school students prepare for their careers, it’s important for them to think about not only what course they want to study at university, but also about how to build the skills that employers will value several years down the line. Here are some next steps for students to take: 

• Audit your digital habits: Review how you use technology daily—identify time-wasting activities, improve online safety practices, and ensure your social media presence reflects your goals.
• Build one new digital skill this month: Choose a practical skill (e.g. spreadsheets, basic coding, or online research techniques) and complete a short online course or project.
• Practice critical consumption: When reading online content, cross-check at least two additional sources and actively question bias, accuracy, and intent.
• Create something digital: Apply your skills by producing a blog, video, portfolio, or collaborative project to demonstrate your digital literacy in action.

For more information on developing soft skills, choosing extracurriculars, and considering employability when making a college list, reach out to Guidewell Global. Book a complimentary call to find out how our services can help your student.