Digital citizenship for health: Mapping and evaluation of existing platforms supporting digital, health, and civic literacy among young people

Young people often lack access to literacy platforms that address their specific needs, leaving them vulnerable to misinformation, online harm, privacy risks, and limited capacity to engage in digital, health, and civic spaces. This study aimed to identify existing digital citizenship for health (DC4H) platforms and evaluate the extent to which they address the needs of young people. This study was conducted in two phases. The first phase identified relevant platforms through an integrated search approach combining academic databases, web searches, social media queries, and AI-assisted tools. The second phase evaluated the identified platforms using walkthrough assessments and document review based on 13 predefined criteria related to youth-centered values and functional literacy support. A comparative analysis was ultimately used to examine patterns, highlight strengths, and identify gaps across the platforms. The study evaluated 38 existing digital, health, and civic literacy platforms. The analysis revealed significant gaps in current platforms. All evaluated platforms focused on improving knowledge and sharing information, but fewer supported skill development (17). Most of the evaluated platforms lacked multilingual support and alternative learning formats, excluding subgroups of young people, including those with disabilities, limited digital access, and language barriers. In addition, most platforms addressed only one literacy domain rather than integrating digital, health, and civic literacy. There are gaps in existing DC4H platforms that highlight the need for more integrated solutions that connect digital, health, and civic literacy while addressing the identified limitations.