FOOD SECURITY AND INFORMATION LITERACY OF DIGITAL YOUTH IN LAMPUNG

Food security is a critical global and national issue, including in Indonesia. In the digital and post-truth era, late adolescents as digital natives and members of the pre-marriage age group require adequate information literacy to support food security. This study analyses the construction of food security meaning in relation to the information literacy of late adolescents in Lampung. Drawing on social constructivism, information literacy models, agenda-setting theory, and information processing theory, the study employed a mixed-method approach, primarily using quantitative analysis supplemented by observations and interviews. Data were collected from 100 adolescents aged 18–24 years across 11 regencies in Lampung Province. The results show that food security (mean = 2.9867) and information literacy (mean = 2.6557) were both in the moderate category. Adolescents were relatively capable of accessing and understanding food-related information but remained less critical in evaluating its accuracy. Their understanding of food security was also influenced more by parents and peers than by critical literacy. Information literacy significantly affected food security, although its contribution was small (r² = 0.0743), with a weak positive correlation (r = 0.2873). These findings emphasize the need for contextual information literacy education and youth-oriented digital food communication strategies.