Creating Developmentally-Appropriate Measures of Media Literacy for Adolescents

Abstract

The current generation of children and adolescents has yet to know a time when digital networks and social media were unavailable. However, it remains unclear how youth develop the skills necessary to critically evaluate the content they find via these media forms. These skills are thought to underlie what has been referred to as media literacy. To date, there is limited consensus on how best to define, measure, or teach media literacy skills, particularly in the US where media literacy instruction remains noticeably absent within most state curricula. Here, we constructed and validated a 14-item media literacy scale for adolescents, a demographic shown to be extensive digital media users. We used the scale to 1) assess adolescents' grasp of media literacy as defined in extant research, and 2) explore relationships between media literacy and social media use, media multitasking, and academic achievement. Findings from 78 adolescents (mean age 13 years; range 11-15) indicated that the internal consistency for the 14-item scale approached an acceptable range (Cronbach's α = .68). Media literacy scores correlated positively with self-reported grades and negatively with self-reported social media use and media multitasking. Thus, experience with social media use, in particular, may not promote media literacy skills. Further, youth may need targeted media literacy skill instruction to reduce their vulnerability to misinformation via digital media and enhance their critical evaluation of content found through these sources.