Does Digital Literacy Empower Adolescent Girls in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: The vast majority (90%) of the world's adolescents aged 10–19 live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); and in those resource-limited settings, girls face distinct challenges across multiple health, social, and economic domains. Gender equality and girls' empowerment are key goals in their own right and are central to all other development goals. Digital literacy is a great enabler for the empowerment of young girls. This systematic review aims to assess the range and nature of digital literacy interventions implemented to empower adolescent girls in LMICs and identify evidence about adolescent girls' access and use of digital technologies in LMICs.Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) standards for systematic reviews. Two reviewers selected studies, conducted quality assessments, and extracted data by using standard forms. The collected data include the design of the study, type of digital literacy intervention, target audience, intervention received, intervention reach, data analysis, and study outcomes. The review is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020216756).Results: Thirty-five studies met the eligibility for inclusion and of those, 11 were experimental studies (randomized controlled trial = 6; quasi-experimental = 2; before-after with no control = 3), 11 were cross-sectional/descriptive studies, seven studies used a mixed-method approach, and six were qualitative studies on digital literacy interventions to empower young girls in LMICs. The majority of digital literacy interventions were designed and implemented to improve sexual and reproductive health rights and decision-making of adolescent girls in LMICs (n = 33). Only three papers reported the use of digital media for health-related information and decision making, while only one reported on educational and social empowerment.Discussion: Our findings suggest that digital literacy interventions such as mobile phones, mobile health tools, media exposure, access to the internet, internet-based educational strategies, social media exposure are effective to empower adolescent girls to access health services and information and also enhance the access to educational resources. However, we found inconclusive evidence on the effectiveness of digital literacy to enhance girls' access to financial services and economic empowerment. More rigorous studies with long-term follow-ups to assess the effectiveness of such interventions to empower adolescent girls in LMICs are urgently needed.

Digital Device Exposure and Cognition Levels of Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Cross-sectional Study in Cambodia

“…However, will digital device exposure and intensity of the exposure affect cognitive development in children in LMICs? This question is difficult to answer because most of the research targets high-income countries, adolescents, and adults [12][13][14].…”

A Realist-Informed Review of Digital Empowerment Strategies for Adolescents to Improve Their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Well-being

“…We set out to better understand the role of varying context conditions in digital empowerment interventions to support the health and well-being for adolescents living in poor, resource-constrained urban environments. The rationale is that increasingly, digital communication tools, such as digital apps, are seen as a promising instrument to support adolescents' voice and agency, thereby transforming their accountability relationships, with the potential outcome of improved health and well-being [5]. We wanted to explore two interrelated paths with the review.…”

“…We conducted an informal literature search mining for concepts. Conceptual terms used in this review correspond to our perspective on donor-funded programmes in the field of adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health and rights, with their current focus to improve accountability towards adolescents through participatory approaches, and the use of digital technology to boost adolescents’ individual and collective empowerment [ 5 , 28 ]. The selection of search terms was influenced by the conceptual overview (Annex 1 ).…”

“…Given that empowerment is a term with a broad range of meanings, we included interventions that have empowerment as a programme strategy (digital empowerment), as well as those that consider empowerment of adolescents as an outcome [5]. We included interventions on adolescents sexual and reproductive health and mental health as well as during this phase of adolescent transition, attention to adolescents' mental health is key [6,26].…”

“…They also often lack the skills to negotiate relationships, claim accountability, and advocate for their needs in a complex urban environment [3,4]. Strengthening their voice and agency through the use of digital technologies could potentially mobilise individual and collective action, thereby possibly improving sexual and reproductive and overall health and well-being [5].…”