Peer-reviewed article
Digital, Media, and Information Literacies and the Well-Being of Neurotypical and Neurodivergent Children: A Synthetic Knowledge Synthesis.
Lovrenčič Držanič I, Žilič Fišer S, Horvat L, Blažun Vošner H, Kokol P ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This research review examined how digital, media, and information literacies affect children's well-being, comparing neurotypical and neurodivergent children across published studies from 1996 to 2025. The authors found that while general digital literacy research focuses on social integration and critical thinking, research on neurodivergent children emphasizes inclusive teaching and adaptive safety measures. The review identified a persistent gap in research on children with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia, particularly around online safety and mental health risks. The authors call for frameworks that combine universal literacy standards with adaptive safety supports for all children.
Key points
- Digital literacy research has grown substantially, but work on neurodivergent children remains a small but persistent area
- General digital literacy literature emphasizes social integration and critical agency, while neurodivergent-focused work highlights inclusive pedagogy and multimodal expression
- Research is shifting from general online safety awareness toward protective measures for specific vulnerabilities like social-emotional decoding differences and impulsivity
- Children with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and dyslexia face a 'double digital divide' in access and competency
- The review reveals evidence gaps rather than proven methods, highlighting the need for integrated public-health and educational frameworks
Limitations
This is a bibliometric mapping study that identifies where research is concentrated rather than evaluating what interventions actually work in practice. The synthesis cannot provide evidence of effectiveness for specific interventions or methods to improve digital literacy outcomes.
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Children now spend a substantial part of daily life in digital environments, and their digital, media, and information literacies shape their online safety, social-emotional development, and mental health, making these competencies a concern for child public health and preventive paediatric care. This study applies a Synthetic Knowledge Synthesis (SKS) to map how digital, media, and information literacies (hereafter digital literacies) among children have evolved, comparing neurotypical and neurodivergent children. SKS is a semi-automated approach that combines descriptive bibliometrics, keyword co-occurrence mapping, and qualitative content analysis to map an entire research field or topic. Methods: We treat digital literacies as relevant to children's health, well-being, and safe online participation, and we analyse Scopus-indexed literature from 1996 to 2025 using descriptive bibliometrics, keyword co-occurrence mapping, and qualitative content analysis. Results: The mapping shows strong growth in general digital-literacy scholarship alongside a small but persistent body of work on a "double digital divide" affecting children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, and dyslexia. The two bodies of work differ in emphasis: the general literature foregrounds social integration and critical agency, while research on neurodivergent children foregrounds inclusive pedagogy, implicit learning, and multimodal expression. It also shifts from general digital-safety awareness toward protective mediations for vulnerabilities such as social-emotional decoding differences and impulsivity, which bear on children's online safety and mental health. Because bibliometric mapping reveals where research is concentrated rather than what works in practice, the synthesis points to evidence gaps rather than proven methods. Conclusions: On this basis, we argue for an integrated public-health and socio-educational framework that complements universal literacy standards with adaptive, assistive safety nets, so that all children can take part in digital life safely and on equal terms.