Beyond Digital Literacy: Building Youth Digital Resilience Through Existing “Information Sensibility” Practices

Amelia Hassoun (), Ian Beacock, Todd Carmody, Patrick Gage Kelley, Beth Goldberg, Devika Kumar, Laura Murray, Rebekah Su Park, Behzad Sarmadi and Sunny Consolvo
Additional contact information
Amelia Hassoun: Darwin College, University of Cambridge, Silver Street, Cambridge CB3 9EU, UK
Ian Beacock: Google (United States), 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
Todd Carmody: Gemic, 82 Nassau Street, #863, New York, NY 10004, USA
Patrick Gage Kelley: Google (United States), 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
Beth Goldberg: Google (United States), 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
Devika Kumar: Gemic, 82 Nassau Street, #863, New York, NY 10004, USA
Laura Murray: Gemic, 82 Nassau Street, #863, New York, NY 10004, USA
Rebekah Su Park: Gemic, 82 Nassau Street, #863, New York, NY 10004, USA
Behzad Sarmadi: Gemic, 82 Nassau Street, #863, New York, NY 10004, USA
Sunny Consolvo: Google (United States), 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA

Social Sciences, 2025, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-43

Abstract: Youth media consumption and disordered eating practices have historically been subjects of moral panics, often resulting in protective, deficit-based interventions like content removal. We argue for interventions which instead equip youth to evaluate and manage risks in their online environments, building upon their existing “information sensibility” practices. Drawing upon ethnographic research and intervention testing with 77 participants in the US and India, we analyze how youth (aged 13–26), including those with diverse political perspectives and those recovering from disordered eating (DE), engage with online news and health information. Participants generally algorithmically encountered (rather than searched for) information online, and their engagement was shaped more by social motivations—like belonging—than truth seeking. Participants interpreted online information collaboratively, relying on social cues and peer validation within their online communities. They demonstrated preference for personal testimonies and relatable sources, particularly those with similar social identities. We propose resilience-building interventions that build upon these youth online information practices by: (1) leveraging peer networks, promoting critical information engagement through collaborative learning and peer-to-peer support within online communities; (2) developing social media sensibility, equipping youth to critically evaluate information sources in situ; (3) providing pathways offline, connecting youth to desired in-person communities; and (4) encouraging probabilistic thinking.

Keywords: information sensibility; youth; Gen Z; social media; digital literacy; online information; digital resilience; interventions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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