Digital Citizenship Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: An Integrative Review

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into education has transformed how adolescents learn, communicate, and participate in digital environments, creating new opportunities as well as ethical, social, and educational challenges. Consequently, digital citizenship education has evolved beyond digital literacy to encompass AI literacy, media literacy, digital ethics, critical thinking, digital well-being, and responsible participation in technology-mediated societies. The present study aims to synthesize contemporary literature on digital citizenship education among adolescents in the age of artificial intelligence and to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for educational practice. An integrative literature review methodology was adopted to examine scholarly articles, theoretical works, policy documents, and international competency frameworks retrieved from major academic databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, Google Scholar, and Shodhganga. The reviewed literature was analysed through thematic synthesis to identify recurring concepts, emerging trends, implementation challenges, and future directions. Six major themes emerged: the evolution of digital citizenship, theoretical foundations, core competencies, the influence of artificial intelligence, the roles of educational stakeholders, and implementation challenges. The synthesis indicates that effective digital citizenship education requires the integration of digital competence, AI literacy, ethical decision-making, critical media literacy, digital resilience, and collaborative engagement among schools, families, and policymakers. Based on these findings, the study proposes a synthesized conceptual framework that integrates educational theories, international competency frameworks, AI-related competencies, contextual influences, stakeholder responsibilities, and expected educational outcomes. The review contributes to the existing literature by offering an integrated perspective that can inform curriculum development, teacher education, educational policy, and future empirical research aimed at preparing adolescents for responsible and ethical participation in AI-mediated digital societies.