Ciencia y Educación

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GENERATION OF SCREENAGERS AND EDUCATION: POSSIBILITIES, IMPACTS AND

CHALLENGES FOR THE CONTEMPORARY SCHOOL

–GENERACIÓN DE SCREENAGERS Y EDUCACIÓN: POSIBILIDADES, IMPACTOS Y

DESAFÍOS PARA LA ESCUELA CONTEMPORÁNEA

Autores: ¹Byron Carlos Reasco Garzón, ²Daniel Fabricio Contreras Moscol, ³Jeanelly Cecilia

Aguilar Parra y

Rosa Marianella Contreras Jordán.

¹ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9899-0900

²ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5101-1039

²ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3964-6488

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7491-664X

¹E-mail de contacto: breasco@utb.edu.ec

²E-mail de contacto: ddanielcontrerasm@utb.edu.ec

³E-mail de contacto: jaguilarp@utb.edu.ec

E-mail de contacto: rcontreras@utb.edu.ec

Afiliación:

1*2*3*4*

Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo, (Ecuador).

Artículo recibido: 29 de Enero del 2026

Artículo revisado: 30 de Enero del 2026

Artículo aprobado: 4 de Febrero del 2026

¹Licenciado en la Ciencia de la Educación mención en Idiomas (Inglés-Francés) de la Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo, (Ecuador).

Maestría en Enseñanza de Inglés como Lengua Extranjera (Educación) de la Universidad Tecnológica Empresarial de Guayaquil,

(Ecuador). Máster Universitario en Educación Inclusiva e Intercultural de la Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, (España).

²Docente de la Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo, (Ecuador).

³Máster en Pedagogía de los Idiomas Nacionales y Extranjeros Mención en Enseñanza de Inglés graduada de la Universidad Casa Grande,

(Ecuador). Máster en Administración de Empresas (MBA) graduada de la Universidad Tecnológica Ecotec, (Ecuador). Docente de la

Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo, (Ecuador).

Docente de la Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo, (Ecuador).

Resumen

El auge de los screenagers, jóvenes cuya

socialización, ocio y aprendizaje ocurren ante

pantallas, tensiona los ritmos, lenguajes y

mediaciones de la escuela, generando

oportunidades creativas y riesgos de atención

fragmentada y desinformación. El objetivo fue

analizar la relación entre screenagers y

educación, identificando posibilidades e

impactos, el recorrido escolar digital y los

desafíos para docentes e instituciones. Se

empleó una revisión narrativa focalizada en

tres fuentes ancla (consumo audiovisual

juvenil, marco sociocultural y crítica al mito

del “nativo digital”), organizando la evidencia

en matrices de hábitos, competencias y

mediaciones. Los resultados muestran

desplazamiento hacia microcontenidos y

plataformas, heterogeneidad de competencias

(dominio instrumental vs. alfabetización

crítica) y brechas asociadas a capital cultural y

políticas escolares. Se concluye que no basta

“usar tecnología”: es necesario diseñar

mediaciones pedagógicas que integren

producción multimodal con estándares

académicos, alfabetización informacional y de

datos, y evaluación formativa, acompañadas de

desarrollo profesional docente y marcos éticos

de ciudadanía digital.

Palabras clave: Screenagers, Educación,

Competencias digitales, Alfabetización

mediática e informacional, Producción

multimodal, Economía de la atención,

Diseño instruccional.

Abstract

The rise of screenagers, youth whose

socialization, leisure, and learning unfold

through screens, has strained schools’ tempos,

languages, and mediations, creating both

creative opportunities and risks such as

fragmented attention and misinformation. This

study aimed to analyze the relationship between

screenagers and education, identifying

possibilities and impacts, the digital school

trajectory, and challenges for teachers and

institutions. A focused narrative review was

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conducted using three anchor sources (youth

audiovisual consumption, a sociocultural

framework, and a critique of the “digital native”

myth), organizing evidence into matrices of

habits, competencies, and mediations. Findings

show a shift toward micro-content and

platforms, heterogeneous competencies

(instrumental fluency vs. critical literacy), and

gaps associated with cultural capital and school

policies. We conclude that merely “using

technology” is insufficient: pedagogy must

design mediations that integrate multimodal

production with academic standards,

information and data literacy, and formative

assessment, supported by teacher professional

development and ethical frameworks for digital

citizenship.

Keywords: Screeners, Education, Digital

competencies, Media and Information

Literacy, Multimodal production, Attention

economy, Instructional design.

Sumário

A ascensão dos "screenagers" — jovens cuja

socialização, lazer e aprendizado ocorrem em

frente a telas — está tensionando os ritmos, as

linguagens e as mediações das escolas, gerando

oportunidades criativas e riscos de atenção

fragmentada e desinformação. O objetivo foi

analisar a relação entre os screenagers e a

educação, identificando possibilidades e

impactos, a trajetória da aprendizagem digital e

os desafios para professores e instituições. Foi

utilizada uma revisão narrativa focada em três

fontes principais (consumo audiovisual por

jovens, contexto sociocultural e uma crítica ao

mito do "nativo digital"), organizando as

evidências em matrizes de hábitos, habilidades

e mediações. Os resultados mostram uma

mudança em direção a microconteúdos e

plataformas, heterogeneidade de habilidades

(domínio instrumental versus letramento

crítico) e lacunas associadas ao capital cultural

e às políticas escolares. O estudo conclui que

simplesmente "usar a tecnologia" é

insuficiente: é necessário desenvolver

abordagens pedagógicas que integrem a

produção multimodal com padrões

acadêmicos, letramento informacional e de

dados e avaliação formativa, acompanhadas de

formação continuada para professores e marcos

éticos para a cidadania digital.

Palavras-chave: Geração digital, Educação,

Habilidades digitais, Alfabetização midiática

e informacional, Produção multimodal,

Economia da atenção, Design instrucional.

Introduction

Over the last two decades, the ubiquity of

screens and digital platforms has shaped a

sociotechnical ecosystem in which children and

young people build identity, sociability and

learning. The concept of screenagers describes

a cohort immersed in short-form content,

transmedia convergence and mobile

communication, characterized by fast

audiovisual consumption. Research shows a

shift from linear television to platforms and

micro-content, associated with immediacy,

algorithmic segmentation and personalization,

which alters attention rhythms and challenges

traditional school dynamics (Cortés & Fuentes,

2023). However, digital culture does not

operate uniformly. Social class, cultural capital

and platform conditions mediate competencies

and opportunities; therefore, the idea of

homogeneous “digital natives” is problematic

(Sequeiros & López, 2016). Although many

young people easily use devices, gaps remain in

information literacy, privacy awareness, critical

reading of algorithms and multimodal academic

production. Instrumental mastery does not

equal digital academic competence, meaning

schools cannot rely on spontaneous network

socialization and must implement deliberate

pedagogical mediation (Acosta, 2022).

This article analyzes the relationship between

screenagers and education by examining their

digital trajectories, identifying challenges for

teachers and schools, and proposing

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pedagogical strategies grounded in evidence.

Based on a narrative review drawing on

empirical and theoretical studies, the objective

is to understand educational impacts and define

mediations that connect digital practices with

academic learning (Cortés et al., 2023;

Sequeiros et al., 2016; Acosta, 2022).

Materials and Methods

A focused narrative review was selected due to

its suitability for analyzing complex and

multidimensional phenomena such as youth

media practices and their relationship with

education. This approach integrates

heterogeneous evidence; empirical studies,

theoretical essays and research Works, through

interpretive and critical synthesis, unlike

systematic reviews that prioritize exhaustive

and replicable procedures (Snyder, 2019; Grant

& Booth, 2009; Ferrari, 2015). It is particularly

appropriate when studying evolving cultural

categories such as screenagers or digital

natives. The study aims not to exhaust all

literature but to construct a coherent interpretive

framework combining empirical evidence,

theoretical reflection and educational analysis.

Although not systematic, some transparency

criteria from PRISMA-ScR were considered to

ensure clarity of objectives, selection criteria

and synthesis description (Tricco et al., 2018).

From a hermeneutic-interpretative perspective,

knowledge emerges from dialogue between

sources and context, recognizing that digital

technologies are socially situated practices

shaping identities and learning (Boell & Cecez,

2014; Selwyn, 2016; Buckingham, 2008).

Inclusion criteria required thematic relevance to

youth media practices, diversity of approaches

and academic accessibility (indexed or open

access). Searches were conducted in Google

Scholar, Scopus, Dialnet and institutional

repositories using Spanish and English

keywords such as “digital youth,”

“screenagers,” and “digital skills.” Publications

from 2015–2023 were prioritized, along with

key theoretical works (Prensky, 2001;

Buckingham, 2008), ensuring conceptual

relevance and academic rigor while avoiding

generational essentialism (Sequeiros Bruna et

al., 2016). Among the selected anchor sources,

the following were established:

➢ Empirical study in communication.

➢ Cortés Quesada, Barceló Ugarte and

Fuentes Cortina (2023) analyzed the

audiovisual consumption of Millennials

and Generation Z through a survey (n =

642), highlighting the preference for short

content ("snackables") and the shift

towards digital platforms. This study

provides recent quantitative evidence on

juvenile media habits.

➢ Theoretical framework in digital culture.

➢ Sequeiros Bruna, Puente and López

Jiménez (2016) propose to understand the

relationship between youth-culture-ICT as

a prism, avoiding generational

reductionisms. His contribution is key to

challenging the homogeneous idea of

"digital natives."

➢ Research paper on digital skills.

➢ Acosta (2022) problematizes the myth of

"digital natives" and documents gaps in

informational and critical competences.

This work allows to articulate media

consumption with digital literacy.

➢ Extraction and synthesis procedure.

➢ The Matrix Method was used (Garrard,

2020), constructing extraction matrices that

included: Author and year, type of study,

population or corpus, key findings,

educational implications, in addition,

thematic matrices were developed

organized into six analytical axes defined

in the protocol: Relación con el universo

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educativo, recorrido escolar digital,

posibilidades pedagógicas, impactos

socioculturales, desafíos docentes,

reflexión crítica interdisciplinaria.

This procedure is also based on the qualitative

analysis techniques proposed by Miles et al.

(2014), who highlight the utility of matrices and

visualizations to strengthen inferential validity.

The synthesis was carried out through an

iterative process of comparative reading and

thematic coding. Following Boell and Cecez

(2014), the revision was understood as a

dynamic process of meaning construction, not

as a simple aggregation of results. Quality

considerations and control of bias to mitigate

selection and confirmation bias, the following

strategies were adopted; triangulation of

approaches (empirical, theoretical and

competency), prioritization of indexed or

institutional sources, transparent explanation of

the procedure, contrasting findings with

additional critical literature (Selwyn, 2016;

Buckingham, 2008). It is recognized that

educational inference derived from media

consumption studies is indirect and requires

triangulation with complementary pedagogical

research (Grant & Booth, 2009). Likewise, the

narrative revision is not intended to establish

statistical generalizations, but rather to provide

an informed interpretation. Among the main

limitations are recognized; systematic non-

exhaustiveness, possible interpretive bias

inherent in qualitative análisis; reliance on

sources available in open access; however,

these limitations are consistent with the

exploratory and interpretative nature of the

study (Snyder, 2019).

Results and Discussion

Table 1 summarizes the main findings of the

review regarding the screenager generation and

its relationship with the educational universe.

The table organizes, by analytical axes, media

practices, their possibilities and pedagogical

impacts, and challenges for teachers and

institutions, linking them to the selected

empirical and theoretical sources:

Table 1. Results

Axis

Key findings

Educational implications

References

1. Segregation and

educational use

Audiovisual use oriented toward the educational sphere; possibilities of

ubiquitous access, informal and personalized learning, increased content

creation and circulation of memes, podcasts and communities of practice;

expansion from linear TV to platforms; fragmented and asynchronous

consumption.

Possibilities: ubiquitous access, informal and personalized learning, creative remix (short videos, memes,

podcasts), communities of practice, expansion of multimedia content, authentic tasks connected to the

curriculum. Critical impacts/intersections: fragmented attention, misinformation and echo chambers; need

for media literacy and critical evaluation criteria; sustained elaboration requires pedagogical mediation.

Cortés Quesada

(2023); Bartolomé,

Llorente & Fuentes

(2021)

1a. Socio-cultural

perspective

Effects are not universal; inequalities (cultural capital), family support and

school conditions mediate them; the link with school knowledge depends

on institutional strategies.

Avoid essentialism; design contextualized policies and pedagogies; invest in resources, teacher training

and guidance; promote hybrid trajectories (face-to-face + digital) and collaborative online learning.

Sequiros Bruna &

López Jiménez

(2016)

2. Digital generation and

school trajectory

Gaps persist: source evaluation, privacy, authorship and instrumental

mastery ≠ academic digital competence.

Authorship and evaluation: guide multimodal production with citation and quality standards; integrate

information literacy and digital ethics; strengthen academic writing.

Acosta Silva (2022);

Cortés Quesada et al.

(2023)

3a. Challenges:

preference for micro-

format choreographies

Attention and deep cognitive elaboration load are affected.

Alternate short capsules with elaboration activities (critical summaries, argumentative maps, journals);

second-order questions; harmonize media rhythm with academic rigor.

Cortés Quesada et al.

(2023)

3b. Challenges: limited

comprehension

Media literacy and verification; confusion between “ICT use” and critical

thinking.

Institutional media literacy pathways; source evaluation and transversal digital ethics.

Bruna et al. (2016);

Acosta Silva (2022)

3c. Challenges:

multimodal production

with academic standards

Consumption > authorship; weaknesses in traceability and licensing.

Promote responsible authorship: bibliographies, podcasts with technical sheets, infographics with sources;

rubrics evaluating form, accessibility and ethics.

Acosta Silva (2022)

3d. Challenges: teacher

development and

institutional culture

Changes depend on infrastructure, leadership and training time.

Develop teaching capacities; institutional repositories; clear digital coexistence policies; data protection.

Sequiros Bruna et al.

(2016)

4. Possibilities and

curricular-didactic

impacts

Integrate transversal modules of information and data literacy; projects with

audiovisual narrative; learning analytics and feedback services.

Align youth languages with academic rigor; design high-level cognitive tasks; critical reading; responsible

use of analytics for timely feedback.

Cortés Quesada et al.

(2023); Acosta Silva

(2022)

Source: Own elaboration

In practice, the main challenge with screenagers

is transforming consumption habits into study

and creative practices. Didactic planning should

alternate short high-activation segments with

elaboration activities such as guided writing,

Socratic discussion and extensive readings

structured by key questions, making the

curriculum sustainable without simplifying it

(Cortés et al., 2023). Audiovisual production

must be evaluated as academic work through

multimodal criteria including argument

structure, evidence, source traceability,

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licensing and accessibility, while maintaining

rigorous citation (Acosta, 2022). At the same

time, digital ethics education should address

data management, care practices and public

authorship to develop informed student agency

(Sequeiros et al., 2016; Acosta, 2022).

Evidence shows a massive shift toward

streaming and micro-content: it encourages

creativity and informal learning but pressures

deep reading and cognitive processing,

supporting microlearning combined with high-

level conceptual tasks (Cortés et al., 2023). The

digital culture perspective questions the idea of

homogeneous “digital natives” and highlights

inequalities and mediations shaping technology

use (Sequeiros et al., 2016). Research also

indicates that academic digital competence does

not arise automatically from exposure to

screens; without information literacy and

authorship training, schools risk confusing

technical fluency with epistemic rigor (Acosta,

2022). From this derive educational actions:

integrate information and data literacy across

the curriculum, promote multimodal production

with clear citations, use microcontent to trigger

analytical tasks, prioritize formative feedback

supported by analytics, and strengthen teacher

development alongside coexistence and data

protection policies. Future research should

include experimental and longitudinal studies

and evaluate concrete pedagogical interventions

in screenager contexts.

Conclusions

Screenagers do not constitute a homogeneous

generation of digital experts, nor can they be

understood from the simplistic label of "digital

natives" alone. Rather, they are socialized

subjects in intensive medical-technology

environments, whose daily experience is

crossed by platforms, algorithms and dynamics

of accelerated information consumption. This

condition does not necessarily imply critical

mastery or advanced skills; on the contrary, it

shows a tension between instrumental

familiarity and cognitive depth. Expanded

access to content, networks, and production

tools opens up unprecedented opportunities for

expression, participation, and community

building, but also exposes structural risks such

as cognitive fragmentation, information

overload, the misinformation and

commodification of personal data. In this

scenario, the school cannot simply incorporate

devices or platforms as a gesture of superficial

modernization. Mere technological presence

does not guarantee pedagogical innovation or

the development of critical thinking. The

educational response requires a deeper

transformation: designing didactic mediations

that articulate youth languages - audiovisual,

multimodal, interactive - with rigorous

epistemic standards. This implies explicitly

curricular the information, media and data

literacy, integrating it transversely in the

different areas of knowledge. To evaluate

multimodal production with the same

conceptual and argumentative requirement as

traditional writing involves recognizing that

knowledge can be expressed in multiple

formats, provided that it maintains coherence,

substantiation, and academic ethics. Likewise,

school culture must assume that digital

transformation is not only a student challenge,

but also an academic and institutional one. It is

essential to provide systematic time and space

for professional teacher learning, strengthening

pedagogical, technological and ethical skills.

Continuing education should not focus

exclusively on the instrumental use of tools, but

on a critical understanding of digital

environments, their algorithmic logics and their

socio-political implications. Likewise,

educational institutions need clear regulatory

frameworks on data protection, privacy, and

 
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responsible  digital  citizenship,  ensuring  safe 
environments for students and teachers. 
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 Esta obra está bajo una licencia de 
Creative Commons Reconocimiento-No Comercial 
4.0  Internacional.  Copyright  ©  Byron  Carlos 
Reasco Garzón, Daniel Fabricio Contreras Moscol, 
Jeanelly  Cecilia  Aguilar  Parra y  Rosa  Marianella 
Contreras Jordán.  