Our practical themes
Digital literacy
Using digital technologies effectively, critically, safely and responsibly.
One of UnionOfSkills.com’s ten practical themes, not an official EU list. How we organise skills.
Why it matters
Digital literacy brings together choosing suitable tools, creating content, protecting information and wellbeing, participating responsibly and judging when and how to use AI. These skills help people make decisions about digital technologies in relation to a task, the people involved and the possible consequences.
Skills in this theme
Digital literacy
Effective use of digital tools
Select and use digital tools appropriately for a task or need.
Digital literacy
Digital content creation
Create, edit and adapt digital content for a purpose and audience.
Digital literacy
Digital safety & privacy
Protect personal information, devices, accounts and wellbeing when using digital technologies.
Digital literacy
Responsible digital participation
Interact, share and participate responsibly in digital spaces.
Digital literacy
Critical & responsible use of AI
Use AI with human judgement: check its outputs and limitations, and decide when its use is appropriate.
Also connected with this theme
These skills have their main home in another theme, with a further connection here.
Critical thinking
Information evaluation
Judge whether information and its sources are relevant, reliable and credible.
Critical thinking
Media literacy
Understand how media messages are made, presented and shared, and how this can shape their meaning.
Connected themes
Youth relevance
School or college work, messaging, online communities and volunteering can call for different digital decisions. Young people may need to choose a shared tool, adapt content for an audience, protect an account or check an AI-generated answer before using it.