Digital literacy is often treated like a school subject. In youth work, it is more useful to treat it as a daily life competence: how young people find information, manage risk, communicate online, and make decisions in digital spaces.
Esports is a particularly good learning environment for this because it is real-time, social, and high-stakes in a small way. Young people care about what happens there. That means digital habits show up clearly and can be shaped through simple structures you introduce.
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What “digital literacy” means in youth work
In plain terms, digital literacy is the ability to use digital tools and spaces safely, effectively, and responsibly. It is not only about technical skill. It also includes judgement: recognising manipulation, protecting privacy, communicating respectfully, and knowing what to do when something feels wrong.
In esports-based activities, you see these competencies immediately: how people behave in chat, how they respond to conflict, what they share publicly, whether they reuse passwords, how they decide what to trust, and how they handle peer pressure.
The core skill areas esports naturally activates
Esports settings regularly trigger teachable moments in:
- Information skills: What sources do you trust? How do you verify a claim, a “tip,” or a link?
- Online collaboration: Team communication, clarity, conflict management, and role discipline.
- Safety and security: Accounts, passwords, scams, impersonation, and risky downloads.
- Privacy and data awareness: What gets shared in profiles, screenshots, streams, and group chats.
- Problem-solving: Fast decisions, learning from mistakes, adapting strategies.
The youth work opportunity is to make those moments visible and reflective without turning the session into a lecture.
Safety essentials: routines youth workers can model
You do not need to be a cybersecurity specialist to raise safety standards. What helps most is consistency: a few simple routines used every time.
For example, before any esports activity, you can normalise basic checks: strong passwords, two-factor authentication where possible, safe downloads only, and a clear rule that nobody clicks links sent in competitive chat or unknown DMs. Young people often know these rules in theory; the value is practicing them in context.
A good youth work principle here is: reduce the chance of harm, and increase the chance of help-seeking. Make it normal to say, “Something felt off can we check this together?”
Privacy and data protection in clubs and activities
Privacy is not only a personal issue; it becomes an organisational responsibility once you run activities. In esports contexts, privacy questions show up quickly: usernames, voice chat, screenshots, streaming, and sharing results publicly.
A practical approach is to set clear boundaries upfront: what is OK to share, what needs consent, and what stays inside the group. If you work with minors, be especially cautious about identifiable information (names, schools, locations) and any content that could be reshared outside your control.
Try this: the “Phish Spotter Drill” (10–15 minutes)
Run this as a warm-up once and repeat it every few weeks. Bring 3–5 example messages (realistic but fictional), such as “Free skins, click here,” “Your account will be banned verify now,” or “Coach tryouts send your login.”
Ask the group to decide: safe / suspicious / unsafe and justify why. Then introduce a simple rule: Stop – Check – Confirm (pause, look for red flags, confirm via a trusted channel).
Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE). Neither the European Union nor FRSE can be held responsible for them.
