Effectiveness of Gender-Responsive Digital Literacy Training on Digital Well-Being Among Indonesian Female Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Female students face unique challenges in digital environments, including greater exposure to online risks that may affect their digital well-being. This study examined the effectiveness of a gender-responsive digital literacy training program among 154 female students from Banyumas Regency and Medan City, Indonesia, using a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group pre-test-post-test design. Participants were assigned to an intervention group (n = 74) or a control group (n = 80). The intervention was delivered over three consecutive days in seven sessions covering digital well-being, digital ethics, cybersecurity, cyberbullying prevention, and digital self-care. Two-way ANCOVA, controlling for pre-test scores, showed no significant overall group effect, F(1,149) = 0.53, p = .468, partial η² = .004. However, significant effects were found for region, F(1,149) = 6.74, p = .010, partial η² = .043, and the Group × Region interaction, F(1,149) = 9.42, p = .003, partial η² = .059. Follow-up analyses showed that participants in the intervention group had significantly higher adjusted post-test digital well-being scores than participants in the control group in Medan City, whereas no statistically significant adjusted group difference was found in Banyumas Regency. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of gender-responsive digital literacy training is context-dependent and should be adapted to regional and socio-cultural characteristics.