Digital Literacy Skills in Canada – Youth compare favourably with the OECD average

Knowing how to protect oneself online is as important as access to and use of a computer or tablet for schoolwork. Teaching digital literacy and online wellbeing techniques ensures that students have the skills to protect themselves from potential online threats such as sharing too much personal information, exposure to false information, or fraud.

In 2018, in Canada, 70% of 15-year-old students reported having been taught how to detect whether information is subjective or biased, compared with the OECD average of 55%. A higher proportion of Canadian students (79%) compared with the OECD average (69%) also reported being taught how to decide whether to trust information from the Internet, and how to understand the consequences of making information publicly available online through platforms such as on Facebook© or Instagram© (81% of Canadian students versus the international average of 76%). However, a lower proportion of Canadian students (38%) reported that they had been taught how to detect phishing or spam emails, compared with the OECD average (41%).

In general, Canada compared favourably with the OECD average in terms of students’ readiness to switch to an online learning environment. However, these findings highlight that there are several aspects to readiness such as access to devices, the extent to which students already use digital devices for school, and the skills that students have been taught to navigate an online world. This report found that among some of these aspects, readiness to learn online varied across the country.

Chart – Percentage of 15-year-old students who reported having been taught digital literacy and well-being, by skill, 2018

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story @ The Daily — Digital literacy skills of Canadian youth compare favourably with the OECD average