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Peer-reviewedCC BYCureus

Social Media Literacy and Health Information-Seeking Behavior Among School Students and Educators in India: A Needs Assessment Under Project Info-Suraksha

  • Rajni Kant1
  • Bhavna B Mukhopadhyay2
  • Nancepreet Kaur3
  • Swapnil Jain2
  • Saritha Nair4
  • Enna Dogra Gupta1
  • Shireen Fatma5
  • Nhu Nguyen Tran Minh6
  • Sophia Lonappan7
  • Neha Srivastava8
8 affiliations
  1. 1Health Policy and Communication, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, IND
  2. 2Health Policy and Communication, Voluntary Health Association of India, New Delhi, IND
  3. 3Health Promotion and Noncommunicable Diseases, Voluntary Health Association of India, New Delhi, IND
  4. 4Community Medicine, Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute for Research in Digital Health, New Delhi, IND
  5. 5Health Sciences, Voluntary Health Association of India, New Delhi, IND
  6. 6Health Sciences, World Health Organization (WHO) India, New Delhi, IND
  7. 7Public Health and Health Risk Communication, World Health Organization (WHO) India, New Delhi, IND
  8. 8Viral Immunology and Vaccine Research, Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Health Research, Gorakhpur, IND
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Abstract

Purpose

The increasing use of social media has made social media literacy vital for promoting safe, responsible, and informed online engagement. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, behaviors, and practices of school students and educators regarding social media usage and online health information seeking. The central research question focused on understanding how effectively students and educators navigate digital spaces and assess the credibility of online health information.

Methods

A cross-sectional mixed-methods needs assessment study was conducted across five Indian cities, encompassing 15 schools per city representing public, semi-private, and private institutions. The total sample included 2,331 students (grades 9-12) and 373 educators. A mixed-method approach, integrating quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, was used.

Results

Internet access was reported by 97.5% of students and all educators. Among students, WhatsApp (Meta Platforms, Inc., Menlo Park, California, United States) (88.6%), YouTube (Alphabet Inc., Mountain View, California, United States) (85.2%), and Instagram (Meta Platforms, Inc.) (64%) were the most used platforms. Both social media (60.5%) and traditional media (58.5%) were primary sources of health information. While 88.4% of educators and 77.7% of students searched for health news online mainly via WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook (Meta Platforms, Inc.), 33.2% of educators were unsure about information accuracy, but 55% still shared it. Only 4-6% of participants had received prior training on identifying misinformation.

Conclusion

The findings underscore the urgent need for structured capacity-building programs that enhance social media literacy, promote critical evaluation of online health content, and foster digital citizenship to mitigate misinformation and encourage responsible online behavior.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{kant2026social,
  title = {{Social Media Literacy and Health Information-Seeking Behavior Among School Students and Educators in India: A Needs Assessment Under Project Info-Suraksha}},
  author = {Rajni Kant and Bhavna B Mukhopadhyay and Nancepreet Kaur and Swapnil Jain and Saritha Nair and Enna Dogra Gupta and Shireen Fatma and Nhu Nguyen Tran Minh and Sophia Lonappan and Neha Srivastava},
  journal = {Cureus},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.7759/cureus.117376},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13725168},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Social Media Literacy and Health Information-Seeking Behavior Among School Students and Educators in India: A Needs Assessment Under Project Info-Suraksha
AU  - Rajni Kant
AU  - Bhavna B Mukhopadhyay
AU  - Nancepreet Kaur
AU  - Swapnil Jain
AU  - Saritha Nair
AU  - Enna Dogra Gupta
AU  - Shireen Fatma
AU  - Nhu Nguyen Tran Minh
AU  - Sophia Lonappan
AU  - Neha Srivastava
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/03
JO  - Cureus
DO  - 10.7759/cureus.117376
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13725168
AB  - Purpose  The increasing use of social media has made social media literacy vital for promoting safe, responsible, and informed online engagement. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, behaviors, and practices of school students and educators regarding social media usage and online health information seeking. The central research question focused on understanding how effectively students and educators navigate digital spaces and assess the credibility of online health information.  Methods  A cross-sectional mixed-methods needs assessment study was conducted across five Indian cities, encompassing 15 schools per city representing public, semi-private, and private institutions. The total sample included 2,331 students (grades 9-12) and 373 educators. A mixed-method approach, integrating quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, was used.  Results  Internet access was reported by 97.5% of students and all educators. Among students, WhatsApp (Meta Platforms, Inc., Menlo Park, California, United States) (88.6%), YouTube (Alphabet Inc., Mountain View, California, United States) (85.2%), and Instagram (Meta Platforms, Inc.) (64%) were the most used platforms. Both social media (60.5%) and traditional media (58.5%) were primary sources of health information. While 88.4% of educators and 77.7% of students searched for health news online mainly via WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook (Meta Platforms, Inc.), 33.2% of educators were unsure about information accuracy, but 55% still shared it. Only 4-6% of participants had received prior training on identifying misinformation.  Conclusion  The findings underscore the urgent need for structured capacity-building programs that enhance social media literacy, promote critical evaluation of online health content, and foster digital citizenship to mitigate misinformation and encourage responsible online behavior.
SN  - 2168-8184
ER  -