Cultivating adolescent digital resilience and online well-being: a phenomenological conceptual framework grounded in educational wisdom

As digital technologies increasingly permeate daily life, cyberspace has become a primary lifeworld that adolescents inhabit, offering avenues for development while simultaneously presenting existential risks such as cyberbullying and dependency. In response to these challenges, the limitations of traditional educational paradigms—often restricted by instrumental rationality—are becoming evident, necessitating a form of pedagogical wisdom attuned to the nature of online existence. Distinct from approaches that rely solely on empirical verification, this study employs an educational phenomenological lens to frame an approach for fostering adolescents’ online well-being and digital resilience. Based on phenomenological reflection and the interpretation of educational contexts, four core dimensions of this wisdom are outlined: (1) Awareness, characterized by the suspension of preconceptions to better reflect on the digital lived experiences of the classroom; (2) Experience, which prioritizes the creation of pedagogically significant encounters within digital spaces; (3) Guidance, focused on establishing an ethical community for online living; and (4) Empowerment, dedicated to strengthening the digital agency of both educators and students. It is argued that pedagogical wisdom should be understood not as a static technique, but rather as a dynamic phenomenological practice. By translating educational knowledge into deep self-reflection and ethical action, educators are better positioned to co-create a shared online community with students, genuinely supporting the adolescent digital journey.