Gendered perspectives on digital skills and digital activities: Comparing non-binary and binary youth

 David De Coninck, Universidad Católica de Lovaina (Belgium)

 Leen d’Haenens, Universidad Católica de Lovaina (Belgium)

https://doi.org/10.3916/C75-2023-03

Keywords

Non-binary, gender, young people, digital skills, LGBTQ, digital activities

Abstract

Previous research on gender differences in young people’s digital development has shown that boys and girls differ in frequency and type of internet use, but vital gaps in the literature remain. In recent years, gender is increasingly considered to be a multidimensional concept with a growing number of young people identifying as non-binary (i.e. genderfluid, an umbrella term for gender identities that are not conforming to the male/female dichotomy). Non-binary youth more frequently engage with a variety of digital risks such as misinformation, cyberbullying, and co-rumination than binary youth. Despite this, no research so far has investigated how digital development differs between non-binary and binary youth. In this online survey study among adolescents in six European countries (N=6,221), we focus on differences in digital skills and digital activities. Non-binary youth tend to make greater use of the internet for content creation and mental and physical health information than boys and girls. They also report greater content creation skills than boys and girls. Disparities in terms of entertainment and social relationship use are also found. Furthermore, findings on digital skills indicate that non-binary youth closely mirror boys in this regard. We conclude with recommendations for future research that should help bolster our understanding of how digital contexts may predict the development and well-being of non-binary youth.

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Fundref

The research reported here is part of the project Youth Skills (ySKILLS) and received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement no. 870612.

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Technical information

Received: 02-06-2022

Revised: 25-07-2022

Accepted: 29-11-2022

OnlineFirst: 30-01-2023

Publication date: 01-04-2023

Article revision time: 53 days | Average time revision issue 75: 32 days

Article acceptance time: 180 days | Average time of acceptance issue 75: 93 days

Preprint editing time: 258 days | Average editing time preprint issue 75: 171 days

Article editing time: 303 days | Average editing time issue 75: 216 days

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