Strengthening Character Education for the Digital Well-Being of Young Citizens: A Systematic Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21580/rjtpd.v4i02.33966Abstract
Digital transformation provides opportunities while also creating challenges for young people's well-being, particularly in managing technology use, social interactions, and participation in digital spaces. Digital well-being is not merely related to the intensity of technology use but also to individuals' capacity to manage digital experiences in healthy, adaptive, and responsible ways. This study aims to map research on strengthening character strengths to support the digital well-being of young citizens in educational and citizenship contexts. A Systematic Literature Review was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Relevant academic literature was identified through appropriate scholarly databases and analyzed using descriptive mapping and thematic synthesis. The findings indicate that self-regulation, empathy, responsibility, and integrity are particularly relevant to developing healthy, ethical, and responsible digital behavior. The review also reveals an emerging connection between digital well-being and digital citizenship, while the integration of character strengths into Citizenship Education to enhance digital well-being remains relatively limited. These findings highlight the need for an educational approach that integrates character strengths, digital well-being, and digital citizenship.
Downloads
References
Anbiya, B. F., Budimansyah, D., Maftuh, B., & Komalasari, K. (2026). Strengthening Student Well-Being in the Digital Era Through Character Strengths: A Systematic Review. Scaffolding: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam Dan Multikulturalisme, 8(1), 348–368. https://doi.org/10.37680/scaffolding.v8i1.8789
Azis, A., Maftuhin, M., & Nugraha, D. M. (2021). Citizenship education in the Covid-19 era: How to become a digital citizen? Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan, 18(2), 207–216. https://doi.org/10.21831/jc.v18i2.40833
Branson, M. S., & Quigley, C. N. (1998). The role of civic education. Commutarian Networks.
Büchi, M. (2024). Digital well-being theory and research. New Media & Society, 26(1), 172–189. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211056851
Culcasi, I., Cerrillo, R., & Cinque, M. (2025). Fostering Digital Well-Being Through (e-)Service-Learning: Engaging Students in Responsible and Inclusive Digital Practices. Behavioral Sciences, 15(9), 1158. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15091158
Gillham, J., Adams-Deutsch, Z., Werner, J., Reivich, K., Coulter-Heindl, V., Linkins, M., Winder, B., Peterson, C., Park, N., Abenavoli, R., Contero, A., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Character strengths predict subjective well-being during adolescence. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(1), 31–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2010.536773
Gough, D., Oliver, S., & Thomas, J. (2017). An introduction to systematic reviews (Vol. 2). SAGE Publications.
Lavy, S. (2020). A Review of Character Strengths Interventions in Twenty-First-Century Schools: their Importance and How they can be Fostered. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 15(2), 573–596. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-018-9700-6
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. American Psychological Association. Oxford University Press,American Psychological Association.
Ribble, M. (2011). Digital citizenship in schools (2nd ed.). International Society for Technology in Education.
Ribble, M., & Bailey, G. (2023). Digital citizenship handbook for school leaders. International Society for Technology in Education.
Suhaida, D., Sapriya, Nordin, Z. S., Moad, Rianto, H., & Rizal, Y. (2025). Design of citizenship education model development through digital media in strengthening students’ character. Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan, 22(2), 311–323. https://doi.org/10.21831/jc.v22i2.87279
Tang, X., Li, Y., Duan, W., Mu, W., & Cheng, X. (2019). Character Strengths Lead to Satisfactory Educational Outcomes Through Strength Use: A Longitudinal Analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01829
Vanden Abeele, M. M. P. (2021). Digital Wellbeing as a Dynamic Construct. Communication Theory, 31(4), 932–955. https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtaa024
Widiatmaka, P., Nuryadi, M. H., & Sugiyanto, A. (2025). Pendidikan kewarganegaraan sebagai sarana pembelajaran dalam menumbuhkan karakter bangsa pada mahasiswa di era digital. HUMANIKA, 25(1), 99–108. https://doi.org/10.21831/hum.v25i1.80367
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Bakti Fatwa Anbiya, Riyan Dwi Saputra, Randy Fadillah Gustaman, Lilis Rosita

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The copyright of the received article shall be assigned to the journal as the publisher of the journal. The intended copyright includes the right to publish the article in various forms (including reprints). The journal maintains the publishing rights to the published articles. Authors are allowed to use their articles for any legal purposes deemed necessary without written permission from the journal with an acknowledgment of initial publication to this journal.

















