Extracurricular Information Seeking: Adolescents' Informal Information Seeking Practices

While much of the current scholarship around youth information behavior focuses on information practices in formal, in-school settings, this literature review examines the various models for adolescents' information-seeking behavior in informal settings, with a particular focus on students 11-18 in both online and offline information contexts. We draw on the work of leading scholars in information studies, education, gender studies, and human development in order to interrogate common assumptions about youth information-seeking practices and needs, question popular and alarmist narratives about teens and technology, and highlight the need for digital mentorship and an ongoing commitment to securing adolescents' access to information.