DEVELOPING DIGITAL COMPETENCE AND CRITICAL THINKING OF FUTURE EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST AS A BASIS FOR THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY OF ADOLESCENTS IN THE INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

In the modern digital space, ensuring the psychological safety of adolescents has become particularly significant. Particular attention is given to the development of digital literacy as a key element of the professional training of educational psychologists in the context of the rapid advancement of information technologies. The research purpose is to analyze the role of digital competence and critical thinking of future educational psychologists in ensuring the psychological safety of adolescents in the digital environment. Within the framework of the research, a pedagogical experiment was conducted to assess the effectiveness of a specially developed educational program aimed at forming students’ digital competence and critical thinking. During the experiment, the ability of future specialists to teach adolescents the basics of cybersecurity, prevent internet threats, and develop skills of critical information analysis was examined. The research findings showed that after completing the program, the level of students’ digital literacy significantly increased, positively influencing their readiness to transfer knowledge to adolescents. Key directions for improving the training of educational psychologists were identified, including the development of media literacy, effective communication, and digital resource management skills. Based on the obtained data, recommendations were proposed for updating the professional training programs of future specialists. The conclusion emphasizes the need to integrate digital competencies into the system of pedagogical education as a prerequisite for creating a safe digital environment for adolescents.