Online Media Literacy Strategy

The Online Harms White Paper set out a commitment to develop an Online Media Literacy Strategy ahead of the implementation of the online harms regulator. The aim of the strategy is to educate and empower internet users across the UK to manage their online safety.

Over 170 organisations are currently involved in delivering media literacy education in the UK. The Media Literacy Strategy sets out the government’s multi-year plan to bring coordination to the media literacy landscape and outlines a Media Literacy Framework of best practice principles to inform the content and delivery of media literacy education. The areas covered by the framework are:

1. Data and privacy

2. Online environment

3. Information consumption

4. Online consequences

5. Online engagement

The strategy also identifies six key challenges faced by the media literacy sector:

1. Evaluation

2. Funding

3. Hard-to-reach audiences

4. Vulnerable users

5. Building audience resilience to disinformation

6. Coordination

The government is committed to tackling these challenges and will publish an annual Media Literacy Action Plan outlining the initiatives to be delivered that forthcoming year. These initiatives will take action against the identified challenges and respond to the changing needs of the media literacy sector.

The first action plan will cover the 21/22 Financial Year and has been published alongside this strategy.