Screen Smarts: The Factors and Interventions of Media and Digital Health Literacy in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

As children and adolescents begin using social media at a younger age and social media becomes a prominent source of health information, media and digital health literacy are necessary to help children and adolescents critically evaluate the health information widely available on these platforms. Media and digital health literacy can provide a protective influence to minimize the risk of adverse health outcomes and disparities. This opinion review explores different factors influencing media and digital health literacy in children and adolescents, including education of adolescents and caregivers, self-efficacy, and socioeconomic status. Interventions such as incorporating media and digital health literacy education into school curriculums, health education programs targeted towards caregivers, and nontraditional education frameworks attempt to address these issues. This review explores successful interventions to identify effective strategies for improving media and digital health literacy and discusses the importance of involving children in research. By understanding key risk factors and effective strategies, this review hopes to inform the targeting and design of future media and digital health literacy programs.