International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12

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 Volume 13, Issue 8 (August 2026), Pages: 54-67

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 Original Research Paper

Digital ignorance engineering and declining social awareness among youth: Evidence from the Hail Region

 Author(s): 

Mervat Gamal El-Din Ali Shamrokh 1, *, Abeer Niazi Wajeed Fathallah 1, Lassaad Guesmi 2

 Affiliation(s):

1Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts, Humanities Research Center, University of Hail, Hail 55473, Saudi Arabia
2Department of Fine Arts, College of Arts, Humanities Research Center, University of Hail, Hail 55473, Saudi Arabia

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8795-9550

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

 
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.08.006

 Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between digital ignorance engineering and decreased social awareness among youth in the Hail Region. It also examined the levels of both constructs, the key barriers to effective intervention, and the proposed mechanisms for addressing the problem. A quantitative descriptive correlational design was used, and data were collected through an electronic questionnaire administered to 241 digitally active youth during the 2025 school year. Four dimensions of digital ignorance engineering and four dimensions of decreased social awareness, perceived challenges, and proposed interventions were assessed. The results showed that digital ignorance engineering was at a moderate level, social awareness was at a moderate level, barriers to effective interventions were high, and the proposed solutions were well supported. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between digital ignorance engineering and decreased social awareness. Regression analysis indicated that 32.2% of the variance in students' social awareness was explained by digital ignorance engineering, with the cognitive and media dimensions being the strongest factors explaining social awareness. The findings indicate that digital ignorance engineering is a measurable problem affecting youth digital literacy, critical judgment, and socially responsible awareness in the Hail Region.

 © 2026 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

Digital ignorance, Social awareness, Critical literacy, Digital vulnerability, Youth engagement

 Article history

Received 15 March 2026, Received in revised form 3 August 2026, Accepted 10 August 2026

 Acknowledgment

This research has been funded by the Scientific Research Deanship at the University of Hail, Saudi Arabia, through project number “RCP-25 099.” 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

The study received ethical approval from the relevant ethics committee (IEB No. HAP-08-L-158) on 19 January 2026. Participation was anonymous, and no personally identifiable information was collected. The responses were used solely for academic purposes and were handled confidentially. 

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

Shamrokh MGEDA, Fathallah ANW, and Guesmi L (2026). Digital ignorance engineering and declining social awareness among youth: Evidence from the Hail Region. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(8): 54-67

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