The Impact of College Students' Digital Lifestyle on Digital Literacy: The Moderating Role of Digital Self-Control Tools

Against the backdrop of the deep integration of digital technology into college students' learning and daily lives, digital literacy has become a key competence for them to adapt to digital learning contexts and achieve sustainable development. To explore the relationship between college students' digital lifestyle and digital literacy, as well as the moderating role of digital self-control tools, this study targeted Chinese college students and collected 786 valid samples through a questionnaire survey. The results showed that digital lifestyle is significantly positively associated with digital literacy; the frequency of digital self-control tool use positively moderates the relationship between digital lifestyle and digital literacy; and significant gender differences were observed in both digital lifestyle and digital literacy. When supporting the development of college students' digital literacy, higher education institutions should pay attention to the quality of daily digital practices and consider incorporating digital self-management tools into learning support systems, as these practices are associated with higher levels of digital literacy. Received: 28 January 2026 / Accepted: 29 April 2026 / Published: July 2026