An Assessment of Senior High School Students’ Digital Literacy and Social Media Netiquette

Abstract

Aims: This study investigated the relationship between levels of digital literacy (data literacy, information literacy, media literacy, visual literacy, and meta literacy) and social media netiquette among Senior High School students. Study Design: A descriptive-correlational research design was employed to explore the possible associations among the variables. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at San Isidro College, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, Philippines, during the academic year 2024–2025. Methodology: A total of 153 Senior High School students from Grades 11 to 12 were selected through stratified random sampling. Data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire that measured digital literacy in terms of data literacy, information literacy, media literacy, visual literacy, and meta literacy, as well as the students’ social media netiquette. Descriptive statistics were used to describe student levels, while Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to determine relationships among variables. Results: The results revealed that the students have high levels of digital literacy across the dimensions of data literacy (M = 3.85, SD = 0.87), information literacy (M = 4.03, SD = 0.83), media literacy (M = 4.05, SD = 0.84), visual literacy (M = 3.98, SD = 0.82), and meta literacy (M = 3.98, SD = 0.83), having an overall mean of 3.97 (SD = 0.02). Additionally, students social media netiquette also resulted as high (M = 3.97, SD = 0.83). However, the Correlation analysis revealed no significant relationship between digital literacy and social media netiquette, with data literacy (r = -0.315, p = 0.253), information literacy (r = -0.281, p = 2.273), media literacy (r = -0.175, p = 0.501), visual literacy (r = -0.024, p = 0.927), and meta literacy (r = -0.413, p = 0876) all showing very weak and non-significant correlations.  non-significant. Conclusion: The Senior High School students showed high levels of digital literacy and social media netiquette. However, these variables did not significantly correlate with each other. This implies that improvements in digital literacy do not necessarily lead to better adherence to social media netiquette among students, suggesting that there is no mutual influence between these two variables. Further research could expand the sample size or investigate other factors influencing digital literacy and social media netiquette, providing a more comprehensive understanding of how students carry themselves in this digital era. Additionally, this study offers a unique contribution by demonstrating understanding that teaching digital literacy alone may not be sufficient to cultivate appropriate social media conduct among the students, as high levels of digital literacy result does not equate to responsible social media use. While many studies concentrate on technical skills and information retrieval this research underscore the importance of ethical and respectful communication in digital environment. Moreover, this opens avenues for further research on to the factors that influence social media behavior among digitally literate students it raises question about what additional skills or knowledge might be necessary to ensure that students not only know how to use technology but also understand the implication of their online actions. These findings underscore the need for educators and policymakers to consider factors beyond digital literacy, such as emotional intelligence or personal values, when designing programs to improve online conduct.