Why Youth Will Shape Their Online Culture, and Why Digital Literacy Education Still Matters

CAVEAT - This article presents a bit of a paradox, considering that we, as adult-led advocates for digital literacy and online safety, are the ones delivering these messages to students and families. However, what we do still matters when it comes to youth onlife culture as you will read.

When it comes to digital spaces, it’s easy for adults to assume that if we teach the right lessons about internet safety and responsible online behaviour, we can shift the culture young people are growing up in. But here’s the truth, “Adult-driven education alone doesn’t change youth online culture. Only youth can do that.”

That’s not a reason to give up. It’s a reason to rethink how we support our youth and teens.

Online  youth and teen culture is created and sustained by the people who use it every day, and that’s overwhelmingly young people. Whether it's the latest social media trend, meme, challenge, or the way they communicate on apps and games, youth and teens are not just participants, they are the cultural architects in their onlife world.

This means that the peer norms, unspoken rules, and daily habits they form with one another shape how they use technology, the internet, social media, and to how they respond to risks, and how they define what’s acceptable or cool. Culture isn’t built in school assemblies. It’s built in their face-to-face discussions, DMs, Discord chats, TikToks, and Snap streaks.

However, education still plays a key role, just not in the way we often think.

As adults , our role should not be to police online culture or try to force it to change from the outside. Our role is to educate, not to control what youth do online, but to equip them to understand the onlife world they’re part of, to help them build agency, and to influence it from within.

Digital literacy and internet safety education matters because they give youth and teens the knowledge to recognize risks, the language to speak up, and the confidence to take action. Whether it's calling out a harmful trend, refusing to share a screenshot meant to embarrass someone, or helping a friend respond to a sextortion threat, these are the real moments where youth and teens can shift the culture. However, they can’t do that without good evidence based information, context, and support that is built on open and honest discussions surrounding digital literacy and internet safety, and that is what we adults can help to facilitate.

Real change happens when teens talk to each other. It’s in the conversations between friends after school, in the private group chats, and in the quiet decision to not hit “send.” That’s where norms form and evolve and that is where digital literacy and onlife safety presentations can play the biggest role. If such presentations are done correctly, it will create a buzz throughout the school, and for days to follow. 

When youth start influencing their own peer circles, when they decide that kindness, safety, or privacy matter more than likes or clicks, that’s when online culture starts to change. That change is sustainable, because it’s not being imposed by us adults, it’s instead coming from them. Here are some thoughts on how we adults can help  our kids influence teen culture:

#1 Focus on Questions, Not Just Warnings

Instead of jumping straight into lectures or warnings, start with curiosity. Ask your  youth or teen how they use certain apps, what features they like, or what they think about popular online trends. These kinds of open-ended questions can spark meaningful conversations. For example, instead of saying, “TikTok is dangerous,” try asking, “What do you think about the stuff you see on your For You page?” You might learn that they are already skeptical of certain content or that they have strong opinions about what's harmful or helpful. Giving them a chance to talk it out builds trust and shows respect for their perspective.

#2 Provide Tools, Not Just Rules

While setting boundaries is important, it’s just as vital to equip youth and teens with the tools they need to make smart choices on their own. Walk through how to adjust privacy settings on Snapchat or Instagram together. Talk about how to report inappropriate comments on YouTube or how to block someone who’s being aggressive in a group chat. Teach them how to fact-check something before sharing it. When teens know how to protect themselves and why it matters, they are more likely to act responsibly, whether you’re there or not.

#3 Highlight Positive Digital Role Models

Youth and teens don’t need another scary story about online dangers. What they do need is proof that the internet can be a powerful force for good. Share stories of young people who’ve used social media to raise awareness about issues they care about, support others in mental health communities, or challenge harmful behaviour in respectful ways. For instance, a youth or teen who starts a YouTube channel about eco-friendly habits or a student who creates TikToks to explain financial literacy, they show that being online doesn’t have to mean being passive. It can mean being impactful.

#4 Support Peer-to-Peer Influence

Peers often matter more than parents at this stage, so encourage your youth or teen to be a quiet leader in their circle. That doesn’t mean calling people out in public, but it can mean not liking a cruel comment, choosing to leave a toxic group chat, or gently speaking up when something feels wrong. Even small actions can shift the tone of a friend group. Let your youth or teen know that they have influence, even if they don’t always feel like it. One person choosing to act differently online can make others think twice, and that’s how culture starts to shift.

Youth and teens will continue to define their own online culture. We don’t get to decide what sticks, but we do get to influence what they carry with them into those spaces. Digital literacy and internet safety education is not about giving orders, it’s about giving youth and teens the insight and confidence to lead the change from within based on the best evidence based information possible.

If we want online spaces to be better for young people, we need to stop focusing on banning technology or trying to force culture from the top down. Instead, we should work alongside youth and teens to help them shape it themselves, and that’s exactly what we focus on in all our digital literacy and internet safety programs at The White Hatter.

Digital Food For Thought

The White Hatter

Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech