The media and information literacy of today's youth: a sociological analysis

This article reveals aspects of the media and information literacy of young students at a theoretical and methodological level. The significance of key components of the digital behavior of young people in the media space, including their digital security, is revealed. Relying on the activistic approach, the personality is viewed as a subject of digital reality - a bearer of digital literacy. The article also presents some results from a sociological study of information literacy of young people in the Chelyabinsk region, conducted in April 2021, identifying their level of media and information literacy. A total of 11,565 students from regional secondary schools, technical colleges, and universities took part in the survey. The results show the most relevant channels of information in the virtual space for students and assess their level of confidence in them; the involvement of students in online communication in social networks, including the formation of skills to recognize threats in the virtual space; the effectiveness of prevention activities in educational organizations; and the involvement of students in preventive work.