Low media literacy is a threat to social cohesion and to our democracy - the answer starts in schools – Lords Communications and Digital Committee

• Unless we improve vital critical thinking skills across the UK, social cohesion and democracy are at risk.

In an era when trust in news and institutions is low and audiences have access to ever-increasing volumes of content, being media literate—having the skills to think critically about the content we create and consume, both online and offline—is essential. Yet research suggests that the UK is falling behind in this area. Urgent action is needed to improve media literacy among both children and adults.

In a report published today the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee says the solution must start in schools and calls for a new focus on media literacy education.

The report makes clear that media literacy must now be embedded across the national curriculum, to ensure it is given the priority it deserves. The Committee heard evidence that under current arrangements, media literacy teaching is sometimes limited to an annual assembly or relegated to optional subjects, making provision a ‘postcode lottery' dependent on the enthusiasm of individual teachers. The report says the ongoing curriculum and assessment review should be used to embed effective media literacy education across the curriculum in schools, with teaching starting from the early years phase.

To make this possible, the Committee calls for a step change in the support given to teachers to deliver effective media literacy education. At present, teachers frequently have to handle this reactively, managing difficult conversations across a range of topics, triggered by the content pupils are consuming online. Often media literacy is taught by younger teachers on the basis they will instinctively understand how to teach it as ‘digital natives'. The report says that initial teacher training and continuous professional development must nowbe updated to incorporate media literacy and ensure teachers feel better equipped to deliver lessons on this vital topic.

The report says media literacy education outside of schools should also be improved for both children and adults. Parents need better support to develop their own and their children's media literacy. Training and guidance should be provided through services including libraries, youth clubs and the new Best Start family hubs.

As well as the focus on education and schools, the report sets out other key recommendations to improve media literacy in the UK. These include:

• Introduce a media literacy levy on tech companies – Tech companies have a responsibility to help their users think critically about the information they encounter, but currently face no formal requirements to support work on the development of media literacy. To help meet that responsibility they should be subject to a new levy to fund sustainable, independent media literacy initiatives. Further to this, Ofcom should set out minimum standards for platforms' on-platform media literacy activity and use its wider powers to understand how effective these activities are.

• Address the leadership vacuum on media literacy – Ofcom is now the owner of the only nationwide media literacy strategy. But the Government cannot outsource media literacy policy to the regulator. Only the Government can deliver the nationwide media literacy programme that is now needed. The Government must appoint a specific senior minister to lead delivery across Whitehall by coordinating cross-departmental activity within education, public services and local government. Treating media literacy as an add-on to the Government's work on digital inclusion is not enough.

• Raise public awareness and target new support for adults - Many adults are unfamiliar with the concept of media literacy, and do not consider it relevant to them. A new public awareness campaign with simple messaging is needed to boost understanding of the importance of media literacy. This must be accompanied by clear signposting to further resources, sustained year-long media literacy activity, and support for local delivery partners such as libraries.

Commenting Baroness Keeley, Chair of the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, said:

“Media literacy is an issue that affects us all. In a world of polarising views and declining interest in traditional news media, it is more important than ever that both children and adults have the skills to think critically about the content they access and create. We are publishing our report on the same day that important protections for children under the Online Safety Act come into force. Online safety and media literacy go hand in hand; tackling the complexity of the digital world will require a combination of regulation and education.

“It is clear we are not currently doing enough in the UK, either in schools or outside, to improve media literacy. Children and young people need to engage with this topic repeatedly throughout their time at school, starting from an early age. Yet too often media literacy is relegated to a one-off lesson or annual assembly. That is not good enough. Media literacy should now be embedded in the national curriculum and teachers given proper, up-to-date training and support to deliver media literacy teaching effectively.

“Tech companies need to do more too. They have a responsibility to help their users assess what they see on their platforms and understand why they might be seeing it, where it has come from and whether it can be trusted. Tech platforms should also be providing the long-term, stable funding that independent media literacy work needs; it is time for a levy to make this happen.

“It is also time to fill the leadership vacuum on media literacy. Ofcom's contributions are valuable, but only the Government can drive real progress in this area. We are concerned that the Government's digital inclusion action plan, while important, sees media literacy as a lesser issue.. The Government should now nominate a specific senior minister to join up media literacy work across Whitehall and bring forward an effective public awareness campaign followed by sustained media literacy activity.”