The digital age demands students to possess digital media literacy, encompassing awareness, understanding, evaluation, accessibility, creation, and dissemination of information via digital tools. While urban students typically exhibit higher levels of this literacy, research indicates a notable gap between urban and rural students, potentially exacerbating educational inequalities.

Here, the authors reveal a moderate proficiency in digital media literacy among primary school students, with a notable deficit in creating and disseminating information effectively. The findings highlight a disparity in the digital media literacy levels of urban and rural students, manifesting in their proficiency to access and use digital tools, as well as their ability to understand and evaluate media messages.

Parental education, parental mediation, and time spent using digital devices all have a substantial positive influence on students’ digital media literacy, with parental mediation having the greatest impact. Therefore, prioritizing the development of higher-order digital media literacy skills is crucial. Additionally, efforts should be directed towards enhancing the basic digital media literacy of rural primary school students while fostering parental engagement in students’ digital education.

The work titled “Exploring the Disparity in Digital Media Literacy Between Urban and Rural Primary School Students: Insights from an Empirical Study in China”, was published on Frontiers of Digital Education (published on August 29, 2024).
DOI: 10.1007/s44366-024-0003-1