Black and Latino Teens Demonstrate Advanced Digital Literacy Skills in Detecting Online Misinformation

A groundbreaking study from education scholars at UC Riverside and USC reveals that Black and Latino teenagers possess significantly stronger digital literacy skills than their white peers, particularly when evaluating online content related to race and ethnicity.

The research, published in the journal New Media & Society, found these youth are more adept at identifying false claims and racist propaganda online, more likely to verify posts with credible sources, and more inclined to respond with factual corrections. Remarkably, these sophisticated skills weren’t learned in school settings.

“This work reveals that adolescents of color are already engaging in sophisticated forms of digital literacy,” explained Avriel Epps, assistant professor in UC Riverside’s School of Education and the study’s lead author. “They have developed these critical skills in many cases from their lived experiences navigating online racism, not necessarily from school-based instruction.”

The findings directly contradict long-standing assumptions in academic literature suggesting Black teens lag behind in digital literacy. Epps noted this disconnect prompted the research: “How is it that they are the ones who are producing the culture on these online spaces, and yet the literature and research are saying that they have less digital literacy than their white counterparts? There seemed to be a bit of a mismatch there.”

Epps collaborated with Brendesha Tynes, a USC professor of education and psychology who leads the National Survey of Critical Digital Literacy, a longitudinal study examining digital literacy skills among youth aged 11 to 19. The research is supported by a Lyle Spencer Award from the Spencer Foundation.

The study analyzed data from more than 300 adolescents across three racial groups who documented their daily interactions with race-related digital content. Researchers tracked how often participants analyzed, responded to, or ignored such material, revealing clear patterns in what they define as Critical Race Digital Literacy (CRDL).

“It is essentially being able to recognize, critique, and evaluate digital media that young people consume with a lens that’s focused on race and how it manifests racism,” Tynes explained.

Black and Latino participants consistently demonstrated greater tendency to challenge racist content by creating posts that identified misinformation and sharing articles from reputable sources to counter harmful narratives.

“These teens are often doing this work for their communities,” Epps observed. “It’s very possible they’re posting accurate information about social justice movements or correcting harmful stereotypes because they feel a sense of responsibility.”

The researchers suggest that lived experiences of minoritized youth contribute significantly to their online savviness. “They keep their eyes open and are hyper vigilant,” said Epps. “They have absorbed these skill sets from having to navigate a world where a racial microaggression could happen at any time. So, it makes sense that would translate to their digital spaces.”

In contrast, white youth were less likely to question misleading posts about race. “This isn’t because they are less intelligent, but because they haven’t had to be as vigilant. They aren’t the targets of digital racism in the way that youth of color are,” Epps clarified.

These findings contradict research published in 2021 by Stanford’s Digital Inquiry Group (formerly the History Education Group), which found Black students scoring lower on digital media analysis. However, that study didn’t specifically examine reactions to race-related content.

The research comes at a critical juncture when online misinformation grows increasingly targeted and sophisticated, while educators struggle with how—or whether—to address race amid political controversies over school curricula. Many high schools teach digital literacy without addressing racial aspects of online disinformation, and teachers face political backlash for discussing systemic racism, creating a chilling effect on classroom conversations about race.

The researchers emphasize that youth of color offer valuable foundations for developing improved curricula. “Our goal is not to shift the burden but to recognize and honor the critical skills these young people already possess,” Epps said. “We can either ignore that reality, or we can build on it to make education more relevant and just.”

She concluded with advice for educators: “The main takeaway for educators is that making your lessons culturally relevant matters regardless of what you’re teaching. Culturally responsive pedagogy matters in math. It matters in English and language arts. It matters for digital literacy and digital citizenship.”

The study, titled “Racial-Ethnic Differences in Adolescents’ Daily Enactment of Critical Race Digital Literacy Skills: A Daily Diary Study,” also included Matthew Coopilton of Cal State Northridge and Devin English of Rutgers University as co-authors.