Social Media Literacy among Adolescents: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The study intends to examine and comprehend the definitions of social media literacy and the competencies necessary to be social media literate, especially with an emphasis on adolescents. In total, 28 articles encompassing the framework of social media literacy, digital literacies, competencies, methodologies, risks, and challenges associated with adolescents are studied. This systematic review aims to provide a holistic understanding of how the concept of the involvement of adolescents in the online world has been conceptualized. The definitions of SML vary significantly with most of them emphasizing merely critical literacy, affective literacy, and privacy concerns. Most vulnerable users of social media are the adolescents who are exposed to many risks such as cyberbullying, privacy breaches, hoax news, misinformation, algorithmically tailored content, and more, it further emphasizes the importance of emotional literacy,  algorithmic literacy, culturally adaptable interventions, and platform-specific research to fill the existing gaps.