Information, Communication, and Content Creation Digital Skills: Task-Based Performance Tests among Youth in Europe

Authors

• Alexander van Deursen, University of Twente
• Ester van Laar, University of Twente
• Ellen J. Helsper, London School of Economics and Political Science
• Luc Schneider, London School of Economics and Political Science
• Veronika Kalmus, University of Tartu
• Signe Opermann, University of Tartu
• Mari-Liis Tikerperi, University of Tartu
• Margus Pedaste, University of Tartu
• Rasmus Mannerström, Swedish School of Social Science at the University of Helsinki
• Katariina Salmela-Aro, University of Helsinki
• Natalia Waechter, University of Graz
• Christin Brando, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munchen
• Cristina Ponte, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
• Rita Baptista, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
• Susana Batista, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, EDUNOVA.ISPA
• Giovanna Mascheroni, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
• Davide Cino, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
• Jacek Pyżalski, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań
• Natalia Walter, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań
• Marie Jaron Bedrosova, Masaryk University
• Hana Machackova, Masaryk University
• Michal Muzik, Masaryk University
• Stepanka Kadera, Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich
• Leen d'Haenens, KU Leuven

Document Type

Research Article

Abstract

Youth’s digital skills are of growing interest to scholars and policymakers. This paper reports on a performance test in which over 600 youth from six European countries tested their skills by undertaking tasks measuring information, communication, and content creation digital skills. The findings question whether youth have the skills needed to reap the benefits from online information provision and social interactions. They struggle to understand whether websites are trustworthy, to distinguish advertising from information, with online meeting and conversation etiquette, and with content creation. This applies to both girls and boys, although some gender differences were observed depending on the skill examined. The problems identified could lead to negative outcomes in using technologies in youth’s learning and other everyday activities. While individual skills training offers part of the solution, designing platforms and algorithms in ways that are suitable for the cognitive development and literacy of youth is also important.

Recommended Citation

van Deursen, A., van Laar, E., Helsper, E., Schneider, L., Kalmus, V., Opermann, S., Tikerperi, M., Pedaste, M., Mannerström, R., Salmela-Aro, K., Waechter, N., Brando, C., Ponte, C., Baptista, R., Batista, S., Mascheroni, G., Cino, D., Pyżalski, J., Walter, N., Jaron Bedrosova, M., Machackova, H., Muzik, M., Kadera, S., & d'Haenens, L. (2026). Information, Communication, and Content Creation Digital Skills: Task-Based Performance Tests among Youth in Europe. Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/jmle-preprints/53

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.