Making Sense of Media Bulletin: September 2025

Ofcom Activity

Ofcom research

This research report - Experiences of Engaging with the Manosphere published 13 June 2025, sets out findings and themes from our qualitative research with people who view, engage with or create content associated with online spaces commonly referred to as 'the manosphere'. It reflects the experiences and attitudes of 38 men and 1 woman who engage with content associated with the manosphere online.

The report focuses on the broad context for online misogyny: users’ experiences of online spaces where existing literature suggests such content may proliferate, sometimes referred to as the manosphere, as well as the life events and circumstances which might lead individuals to engage in such spaces. The report is accompanied by descriptive profiles of each of the participants to provide further context. The sample was inevitably self-selecting, so it is possible that those with more extreme views would have been reluctant to speak to researchers.

The research shows that participants had a diverse range of experiences with manosphere content, and different groups drew different conclusions. Mistrust of the mainstream was common among our participants as well as a stated desire for what they perceived as open debate. 

The findings from this report provide context for both stakeholders and Ofcom to consider, alongside the wealth of academic and other literature in relation to both ‘the manosphere’ more generally, and spaces within this that include content that may disproportionately affect women and girls. It forms part of our wider set of research activities that explore a range of experiences and views about the online environment.

MSOM published research on persuasive design and potential child financial harms: on 26 June 2025.  This research explores how persuasive design features on platforms relate to child spending and potential child financial harms from a media literacy perspective. A quantitative survey outlines the scale and nature of children's spending, influences, and parental/child feelings about online spending. The qualitative element identifies persuasive design features on social sites/apps and gaming platforms that can lead to financial harm.

Key findings include that 58% of children spent money online in the past month, with over half of parents concerned about their child's online spending. While 84% of parents have at least one parental control or way of monitoring their child’s spending online, 15% say they have no restrictions. Five categories of persuasive design features related to financial harm were identified. These insights will help inform Ofcom’s recommendations to, and engagements with, platforms on how they can support their users’ media literacy to prevent financial harm to children.

Birmingham Showcase Event

Ofcom attended and supported the recent launch of a powerful new initiative led by ConnectFutures, spotlighting youth engagement in media literacy and responsible media consumption. The student led film project on youth media literacy – officially premiered last week, featuring the voices and perspectives of 30 students from six Birmingham schools. The film explores critical themes such as fake news, media bias, and digital citizenship, offering a fresh and authentic take on the challenges young people face in today’s media landscape.

The project not only highlights the importance of media literacy in education but also aligns with Ofcom’s ongoing commitment to promoting informed and safe digital participation among young audiences. The full video launched on 26 June 2025 and is now available on ConnectFutures’ YouTube channel. 

MSOM Annual Conference 2025 – Save the Date

Please hold Wednesday 3^rd December 2025 in your diary for the Making Sense of Media annual conference, in-person, in central London.  Further information and registration details to follow.  

Forthcoming Tender Opportunities

We expect to be publishing tenders in July for our media literacy work in Northern Ireland for both adults and children and young people, and tenders in August for our work on “Informed Voices” - content of democratic importance and online misogyny.  Please join the eSourcing portal – details below – to be kept informed of the tenders. 

Working with Ofcom

Interested in working with Ofcom? To be alerted to tendering opportunities issued by the media literacy team, your organisation must be registered with our eSourcing portal which is hosted by Jaggaer (BravoSolution). Please see this link for information on Supplying Ofcom, which includes links to register on the eSourcing Portal.

Research

Common Sense Media

Common Sense media released AI Companions Decoded:  AI Companion Safety Standards - comprehensive risk assessments of social AI companions, concludes that these AI tools pose unacceptable risks to children and teens under age 18 and should not be used by minors.

Emotional AI Lab, Bangor University

Move fast and break people? Ethics, companion apps, and the case of Character.ai  argues for the urgent need for ethical frameworks for AI companions that balance innovation with user safety. For more information contact Vian Bakir at Bangor University. 

Public Interest News Foundation

PINF, the UK journalism charity, has published data from a Survey of Indie News Audiences 2025 of 2,006 people who get news from independent news providers (i.e. smaller than £2m turnover). respondents say that getting news from their independent provider has led to notable shifts in attitudes and behaviour. For more information contact Joe Mitchell.

The LEGO Group

Published by the Alan Turing Institute with support by the LEGO Group new research Understanding the impacts of generative AI use on children  explores the perspectives of children, parent, carers and teachers on generative AI technologies and how it may impact children's learning and play.

Digital Futures for Children centre (DFC)

The DFC are currently investigating how we can achieve Better EdTech Futures for children.  The DFC and 5Rights, with funding from the Garfield Weston foundation, are developing a shared framework and tools, conducting in-depth research into EdTech design and children’s experiences and organising a national awareness campaign and debate. 

Research from Good Things Foundation:

• An updated single Minimum Digital Living Standard that is a benchmark for what households need to feel digitally included. Developed through a series of deliberative discussion groups with working-age and pension-age households, as well as households with children, in urban and rural areas. Grounded in people’s lives, MDLS helps us focus on the holistic nature of digital inclusion and how we can work together to achieve this.
• The latest report from the Data Poverty Lab, explores the role of innovation - both technological and systemic - in tackling data poverty Tackling Data Poverty: Innovation and Collaboration.
• A research and co-design project to develop a resource to help address belief and trust barriers to using digital health services - Addressing belief and trust barriers to using digital health services.
• Partnership Working to promote digital inclusion: exploring how local authorities in England are collaborating with primary care to promote digital inclusion for health. Providing practical insights and a four-stage maturity model to help local areas assess and plan their partnership journey.

For more information on the research above please contact Good Things Foundation.

Events

The Film & TV Educators Network

The Film & TV Educators Network is delighted to invite teachers of film and media to an end-of-year event celebrating best practice in screen education – Frame Forward: End of Year Event.  This free, in person event will take place on Tue 8 July 2025 at BFI Southbank, London and will feature sharing best practice presentations and updates from screen industry bodies. For more information, please contact Alice Guilluy.

Projects and initiatives

MILA - Media and Information Literacy Alliance

A coalition of fourteen information and education organisations has issued a statement - Media & information literacy and the school curriculum: a call to action - calling urgently for media and information literacy to become a mandatory part of England’s school curriculum, warning that young people are being left unprepared for an increasingly complex digital world.  For more information contact Stephane Goldstein.

University of Birmingham

Dr Beth Bell, Dr Gill Francis (University of York) and Dr Gianfranco Polizzi (University of Birmingham) have just started a new Nuffield-funded project exploring the effectiveness of (online) media literacy education designed to promote the wellbeing of secondary school students in England.  For more information contact Dr Gianfranco Polizzi.

The Guardian Foundation's teacher training is open for booking for the new academic year. In person training (London) and online sessions available throughout autumn term.  Please contact Sorcha Hughes for more information.

The Guardian Foundation's Untold Stories project, funded by Ofcom, has launched. Schools in Greater Manchester and London are invited to register your interest.  Please contact Sorcha Hughes for more information.

The Digital Futures for Children centre (DFC) have released a new report: Global developers’ insights into Child Rights by Design. This report focuses on developers in the Global South and investigates the inclusion of child rights in their work environment. The report emphasises the importance of child rights, calls for a business case for children's rights and promotes capacity building for Child Rights by Design. The above report was written in contribution to UNDP’s 2025 Human Development Report, which explores AI’s impact on people's different life stages.

From 5Rights Foundation - age checking systems can now be certified against 5Rights-led technical standard. With age assurance high on the policy agenda, the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)’s new certification scheme on age assurance is built on the 2089.1 standard, co-developed by 5Rights Foundation.

International 

UNESCO is reshaping the Global Media and Information Literacy Alliance to enhance its governance, increase member engagement, and align the Alliance more closely with emerging global priorities. As part of this strategic renewal, they are launching a new database that will serve as a central hub to strengthen coordination, visibility, and collaboration across the network. UNESCO particularly invites:

• Existing members of the Alliance who registered previously on the old system to update/renew their membership through this new database.
• New organisations/networks working on MIL to join the Global MIL Alliance to be part of a network reaching over 115 countries (for instance: educators network, youth organizations etc.).

Organisations and individuals can submit profiles here:  UNESCO Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance Platform.

The Media Education Conference 2025 is calling for abstracts. The conference will take place 3-5 November in Rovaniemi, Finland. The call is open until 1 September and focuses on AI in the Arctic. More details available here:  AI in the Arctic – MEC 2025.

Ofcom Activity 

Annual Adults’ and Children’s Media Literacy Research webinar

Wednesday 7th May 2025, 10.30am – 12.00pm

The event will share findings from our Adults’ and Children’s Media Use & Attitudes reports, and will provide an opportunity for Q&A. We will also show compelling video from our Adults’ Media Lives and Children’s Media Lives research.

We will focus on children’s experiences of and attitudes towards the online world, the extent to which adults and children evaluate and trust the information they see online, and their use of and attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence.    

Please register for the event here.

MSOM Annual Conference 2025 – Save the date

Please hold Wednesday 3^rd December 2025 in your diary for the Making Sense of Media annual conference, in-person, in central London.  Further information and registration details to follow.

Best Practice Principles: Updates from online services that have pledged to adopt Ofcom’s best practice principles for promoting media literacy on their platforms.

In October 2024 we announced that Google Search, The LEGO Group, Pinterest and Roblox voluntarily signed up to adopt Ofcom’s Best Practice Principles for Media Literacy by Design, which have been developed in collaboration with expert representatives from industry, civil society and the academic community.

 The four services pledged to adopt three common principles:

• become accountable for making media literacy a priority on-platform, and increase transparency surrounding what works;
• develop user-centric design and timely ways to put user needs at the centre of the design process; and
• monitor and evaluate media literacy activities on an ongoing basis.

By signing up to adopt the principles, these services committed to improving and adapting their approach to align more closely with best practice. As part of the pledge, the four services submitted examples of how they are already implementing media literacy by design on their services, and areas they would like to focus on in the future.

In May, approximately 6 months on from the initial announcement, we will publish the first update on the progress that services have made in line with their commitment. More information will be available on our website shortly.

New topics on Learn My Way

Ofcom and Good Things Foundation have partnered to produce new media literacy topics on the digital learning platform: Learn My Way. The new topics focus on managing personal information and digital wellbeing and will be live on learnmyway.com from 1 May, with more to come later in the year.

Working with OFCOM

Interested in working with Ofcom? To be alerted to tendering opportunities issued by the media literacy team, your organisation must be registered with our eSourcing portal which is hosted by Jaggaer (BravoSolution). Please see this link for information on Supplying Ofcom, which includes links to register on the eSourcing Portal.

In the coming months we expect to need support for our work on online misogyny and content of democratic importance. We also expect to appoint an organisation in Northern Ireland to support our placed based work there.

Senior Changes at Ofcom

Yih-Choung Teh will be leaving his role as Group Director, Strategy & Research at the end of April.

Yih-Choung joined Ofcom back in 2003 from a strategy consultancy, following an academic career at both Oxford and Cambridge. As a Director, he helped steer Ofcom through some huge strategic pieces of work, including a new telecoms framework that has transformed broadband connections for people around the country. He has led the Strategy & Research Group since 2018, as part of which he has overseen our media literacy work.

Yih-Choung is moving on to join Flint Global, a consultancy that advises on policy, politics, regulation, and competition. Because of the overlap with Ofcom’s work, he will leave Ofcom on 30 April.

Ed Leighton will be stepping up as Interim Group Director. Ed has been Director of Strategy and Policy for five years and has been responsible for Media Literacy since last year so knows the area well and brings a real curiosity and personal commitment to Media Literacy. Our work delivering the 3-year strategy continues unchanged.

Research

Research from Cardiff University

This special issue, "UK Broadcasting and Media for Children: Past, Present and Looking to the Future," Journal of British Cinema and Television, Volume 22 issue 2, April 2025, assesses the BBC's role in shaping children’s entertainment and educational content from its inception in 1922 to the present day.  For further information contact the editors Diane Charlesworth and Steven Barclay. 

Parent Zone – Child Financial Harms Research

As part of ongoing work on Child Financial Harms, Parent Zone's new report explores what is available for enhancing parents' digital financial capability and highlights the need for improved support, coordination and resources in this rapidly evolving area.  For further information contact Parent Zone.

Research from Mhor Collective

Echo Chambers and Empty Spaces report shares the insights of practitioners working with young men and boys, reflecting on the rise of online misogyny and how this relates to wider challenges of digital inequality. For more information contact Irene Warner-Mackintosh.

Events

The Social Media Challenge – Melissa Institute

The Social Media Challenge: Research-based Strategies to Protect Minds and Strengthen Communities.  This online event, on Friday 2^nd May 2025, 9:00am – 4:00pm EST, Zoom hosted by the Melissa Institute in Miami, will provide practical, evidence-based strategies for promoting mental health and online safety for young people. For further information email Melissa Institute.

Projects and initiatives

Untold Stories – The Guardian Foundation

The Guardian Foundation will start work on Untold Stories, funded by Ofcom. This project in Greater Manchester and select London boroughs will teach primary and secondary school children how to understand online content and how to create news stories, with an emphasis on amplifying young people's voices. The testing and pilot phase begins in summer term. For further information please email: behindtheheadlines or NewsWise.

Media Smart – Educational Campaign

Media Smart has launched 'Teens, Social Media & You'. An educational campaign with TikTok to help parents better understand their childrens’ online world and to encourage conversation. Rolling out in the UK and Europe - it includes short 'social' films and a detailed discussion guide.

For further information contact Rachel Barber-Mack.

International

MediaSmarts – Motives and Methods: Building Resilience to Online Misinformation in Canada

New research from MediaSmarts shows that educational videos can encourage people to fact-check and avoid sharing false information. The mixed-methods study was created to understand how Canadians check and share information, and to find out how to help them recognize and respond to misinformation.

Teacher Training in Italy - NewsWise, the Guardian Foundation

Teacher training took place in Italy. Developed and facilitated by Reggio Children and Dataninja, the training taught teachers how to use the NewsWise resources which have been adapted for the Italian context. Teachers across Italy will now be using NewsWise resources in their classroom.  For further information please contact NewsWise.

Ofcom activity

Untold Stories – Guardian Foundation and Red Chair Highland to deliver media literacy initiatives for Ofcom

Ofcom has commissioned the Guardian Foundation and Red Chair Highland to deliver media literacy initiatives to help people to spot mis and disinformation through improved news literacy, as part of our Untold Stories programme. The organisations will be delivering the initiatives in areas of financial disadvantage, from the Highlands of Scotland to London, with the Guardian Foundation working with children and Red Chair Highland with adults. Untold Stories has a focus on teaching participants about the news and how it is produced, to support them to better distinguish professionally produced journalism from other forms of content online. We are excited about what Untold Stories will tell us about what works when delivering these kinds of initiatives and will be sharing lessons learned from both organisations with the network.

Glasgow media literacy project lifts off

Glasgow Life and Mhor Collective have kicked started their Media Literacy project across the City of Glasgow. The newly formed partnership is delighted to announce new team members, Peter McKenna and Helen Wright, who will be dedicated to delivering the project across Glasgow. For further information please contact Shona Munro.

MSOM’s new Research, Evidence and Evaluation Working Group

Fourteen academics and experts with a shared interest in media literacy research and evaluation have joined our new Research, Evidence and Evaluation working group.

The group, which will meet four times a year, supports the Making Sense of Media (MSOM) programme in meeting its strategic priorities across research, evidence and evaluation, as set in our three-year strategy A Positive Vision for Media Literacy.

The group’s purpose is:

• To build a better understanding and measurement of media literacy, both in relevant sectors and in raising awareness among the wider general public in the UK.
• To provide expert insight into best practice and developments in the field of evaluation.
• To deepen understanding of ‘what works’ for the delivery of media literacy interventions in relevant sectors.

We’d like to thank everyone who expressed an interest in joining the working group. We had a high number of applicants and balanced a number of factors to ensure we had representation of a range of expertise and interest across the group.

Details of members can be found on our website: Research, Evidence and Evaluation Working Group.

Media literacy teacher training review

Check out our new article series! In the first post, Making Sense of Media advisory panel member Professor Julian McDougall shares the recommendations from his recent piece of work reviewing media literacy teacher training courses Media literacy - a teachable moment.  

Do you deliver programmes in Northern Ireland?

Ofcom is working with local organisations in Northern Ireland, to create a plan, support and empower local people with strong literacy skills for living life online, if you are working on digital skills and media literacy in this region, we would be grateful if you could complete this short survey.

If you can think of any other organisations working with children or adults in Northern Ireland to improve their online lives, do please share the survey.

Research

Research from Good Things Foundation:

Exploring the Relationship between Deep Poverty and Digital Exclusion Trussell Trust and Good Things Foundation commissioned WPI Economics to review the evidence base on the links between digital exclusion and deep poverty in the UK.

A further collation of research and evidence can be found here: Research & Evidence | Good Things Foundation which includes; Basic Digital Skills, Digital Services, Access, Confidence and Engagement.  For more information on the research contact Katie Heard.

Childnet – young people and online scams

New research from Childnet from the UK Safer Internet Centre reveals that almost half of young people have been scammed online. This Safer Internet Day research highlights the importance of young people being involved in conversations around scams online, as well as a need for further education and support.  For more information contact Rebecca Cawthorne.

MaPS – review explores rise of digital money

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has published a review that explores what the existing literature and evidence tells us about the rise of digital money. It also examines the impact this might have on children and young people’s financial capability and the way they learn about money. For more information contact Sarah Brenig-Croft.

Review on media literacy for 0-5-year-olds: Parent Zone

A new report published by Parent Zone with support from Nuffield Foundation explores the potential benefits of developing 0-5 year-olds' digital media literacy. The review includes recommendations to stimulate and support further work in this critical stage of children's development.

How parents cope with online financial harms affecting children - report

Parent Zone's new report uncovers how parents are coping with online financial harms affecting their children. It calls for action from platforms, finance providers and policy makers to address this growing problem. For more information contact April Ribbons. 

Internet Matters publishes new insights into children’s online lives

New data from Internet Matters reveals the latest insights into children's online lives. They have published a two-page report summarising the key findings from their November 2024 Digital Tracker survey of 1,000 children aged 9-17 and 2,000 parents of children aged 3-17.  For more information contact Katie Freeman-Tayler.

Events

Electoral Commission - Welcome to your Vote Week

Electoral Commission are running Welcome to your Vote Week, Monday 10 March to Sunday 16 March.  Welcome to your Vote Week provides a time in the year for teachers and educators to start the conversation with their young people and develop the knowledge and confidence they need to cast their vote and discover other ways to get involved in democracy.

Shout Out UK will deliver a social media awareness campaign for the Electoral Commission's 'Welcome to Your Vote Week'. The campaign will engage young people and first-time voters to raise their awareness of election-related mis/disinformation. For more information Lucas Scott-Hartson.

Projects and initiatives

Topical current affairs resources for primary and secondary schools

Picture News make weekly thought-provoking topical current affairs resources for over 6,000 primary and secondary schools. Contact Katie Harrison for more information.

30 organisations attended MILA stakeholder event

MILA organised a stakeholder event on 16 January, with around 30 organisations represented, to reflect on future practical, collaborative activities relating to media and information literacy. You can read about it in the MILA stakeholder event report.  Please contact Stephane Goldstein for more information.

Parent Zone launches LittleEveryday campaign on YouTube

Parent Zone’s #aLittleEveryday broadcast campaign outlines simple ideas to boost family media literacy, through games and play. It's part of Parent Zone's Everyday Digital programme, designed to build positive digital skills in UK communities. Watch the broadcasts and share across your networks. For more information contact April Ribbons. 

New online scams advice hub – Internet Matters

Internet Matters has created a new online scams advice hub. It provides parents with everything they need to know to protect their children from online scams, including expert advice on prevention and what to do if an incident occurs.  For more information contact Ghislaine Bombusa.

ABC online safety checklist – Internet Matters

Internet Matters ABC online safety checklist encourages parents to consider new habits for their families’ digital lives in 2025. Suggested resolutions included checking connected devices and creating a plan for tech use by the family.  For more information contact Emma Pierce.

Media Smart publishes new scam awareness resources

Media Smart will promote its Scam Awareness resources, enabling young people (and adults) to identify possible scams and learn how to avoid them (click the link for more information).

In March, it will also launch a major new Parents Digital Literacy campaign. For more information contact Rachel Barber-Mack, Executive Director, Media Smart UK.   

International

New research on teens and AI – Commonsense Media

New research from Commonsense Media, Research Brief: Teens, Trust, and Technology in the Age of AI Nearly two-thirds of US teens don't trust tech to protect their mental health, and 62% doubt that companies will put user safety before profits.  There is a need for greater safety measures for artificial intelligence.

MediaSmarts releases new digital workshops

MediaSmarts has released new self-guided digital media literacy workshops for parents/caregivers and educators in partnership with YouTube Canada. 

Parent/caregiver workshop: Raising Digitally Resilient Kids | MediaSmarts.

Educator workshop: Digital Media Literacy 101 Educator Workshop | MediaSmarts

EU launches year of digital citizenship education

European Year of Digital Citizenship Education 2025 was launched in January. This will provide a platform for member states to set common goals, exchange sense-making practices, measure achievements and define a roadmap for the future. More details available here.

Lessons in media literacy and critical thinking from North Macedonia

Empowering Macedonian Youth to bridge media literacy and critical thinking gaps: IREX detail their Learn to Discern approach to address the unique challenges of information integrity and resilience in North Macedonia through “whole of society” interventions. This focuses on developing critical information engagement skills and healthy digital relationships; raising awareness through inclusive resources, multimedia campaigns, online courses, and public events; and catalysing education reform. More details available here.

International conferences

The European Festival of Journalism and Media Literacy is taking place 27 February – 1 March 2025 in Zagreb. More details available here.

The International Media Literacy Research Symposium 2025 will take place 4-6 June in Rome.

More details available here.

Ofcom activity

Ofcom programme a UNESCO Global MIL winner

Media literacy by design - best practice principles

Train the trainer programmes

Events

Digital Youth Work conference in Glasgow – Youthlink Scotland

YouthLink Scotland are celebrating Safer Internet Day on 6 February 2024 with a Digital Youth Work conference in Glasgow.

Join them for an exciting day with a focus on digital inclusion, cyber resilience and employability with input from youth workers, academics, 5 Rights Foundation and more. For more information contact Hilary Phillips.

Young people to host virtual conference - UK Safer Internet Centre

To celebrate Safer Internet Day 2024, the UK Safer Internet Centre is excited to share a unique afternoon of speeches, panels and workshops hosted and delivered by young people aged 9-18, for guests interested or working in online safety, youth voice and media literacy.

For more information contact Sharon McQuarrie.

Becoming NewsWise: educating news literacy conference

Hear about effective news literacy teaching from NewsWise, the National Literacy Trust, the PSHE Association, the universities of Birmingham and Liverpool and real teachers at this conference on Monday 5 February at the Guardian's office in Kings Cross, London. Free to attend.

Safer Internet Day assembly for UK schools – Be Internet Legends

On Tuesday 6 February at 9.30am, Be Internet Legends will host a special Safer Internet Day assembly for UK schools – building digital skills and awareness of online risks.

Research

Impact on information literacy on society - MILA

MILA has published a report that presents findings from a review of literature on the impact of information literacy (IL) on society.

The research, undertaken by Bruce Ryan and colleagues at Edinburgh Napier University, provides an evidence base on the relevance of IL in different contexts. Contact Stephane Goldstein for more information.

Research into online misogyny and image-based abuse – Internet Matters

This report by Internet Matters examines online misogyny's impact on teenagers, spotlighting influencer Andrew Tate's disproportionate influence on teenage boys and young dads.

For more information contact Simone Vibert.

Everyday Misinformation Project – latest publication

Projects and initiatives

Tech and Kids - Internet Matters

Technology changes quickly and impacts children in so many different ways.

'Tech and Kids: Making the most of digital futures' is a series of guides from Internet Matters helping parents manage the benefits and risks of new and emerging technologies. Contact Sheena Peckham for information.

International

Digital citizenship map

The Digital Citizenship Map brings together noteworthy organisations and projects from across Europe that tackle the digital skills gap in innovative and impactful ways across five pillars.

It serves as a resource and inspiration for policymakers, educators, practitioners and civil society. Contact Stella Meyer for information.

Seniors united against misinformation

The Seniors United against Misinformation project is a European initiative to promote media literacy amongst seniors (those aged 65 and over).

They are launching a toolkit and are keen to speak to others in Europe about expanding or replicating the project.

European Media and Information (EMIL) network

The European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA) has a European Media and Information Literacy (EMIL) network for regulators and network groups to discuss media literacy.

If you think this is relevant to your organisation, please contact Emmanuelle Machet.

Ofcom activity

Launch of consultation on Ofcom’s three-year media literacy strategy

We have published A Positive Vision for Media Literacy (PDF, 658.7 KB), a consultation document on our forthcoming three-year strategy. We are keen to hear your views and so have created a range of ways to engage with us:

• You can respond to the strategy by submitting a written response by 5pm on 24 June 2024.
• You can download a response form (ODT, 98.4 KB), alternatively you can email MSOMconsultation@ofcom.org.uk.

In addition, you are very welcome at one of our in-person events – please register here:

• Edinburgh on June 10
• Belfast on June 11
• London on June 13
• Cardiff on June 14

We are also holding an introductory webinar setting out our strategy on 23 May.

Annual media literacy research reports published

On 19 April we published our annual media literacy research reports, providing a rich picture of adults’ and children’s media use, attitudes and understanding through a combination of quantitative and qualitative research. They focus on online activities and behaviours as well as trust, media literacy skills, and critical evaluation of online information, along with sections that look at trends over time. You’ll find the reports at the links below:

• Children and Parents: Media Use & Attitudes and Children’s Media Lives
• Adults’ Media Use & Attitudes and Adults’ Media Lives

Best practice principles for Media Literacy by Design published

We have published our suite of best practice principles for Media Literacy by Design. These principles are to help platforms become accountable for making media literacy a priority, ensure the development of timely interventions that put user needs first, and monitor and evaluate interventions on an ongoing basis. We also conducted research to build evidence about interventions that happen on platforms - including exploring prompts to encourage people to make an active choice about the content they see.

Ofcom publishes first research agenda for Online Safety

Ofcom is encouraging interested academics and researchers to consider how best to achieve shared research goals with our first research agenda for Online Safety.

It sets out our current areas of interest for future research, which are arranged into four themes: User activity and behaviour; Online risk and harm; Service design and characteristics; and Safety measures and technologies. Contact academic.engagement@ofcom.org.uk or complete the initial Expression of Interest Form.

Engaging with academics

We are delighted to signpost our new webpage that sets out the ways that Ofcom engages with academics – across all our areas of work. These include letters of support for proposals for project funding or co-sponsoring PhD studentships. We look forward to hearing from you! Working with academic researchers - Ofcom.

Events

Free media workshops for over 60s and summer clubs for young people – Yellow Jigsaw

Media social enterprise Yellow Jigsaw are running free-to-attend media workshops to empower people aged 60+ to make the most of the media. Workshops will take place monthly at Manchester Central Library and will cover podcasting, social media and video making. They are also running Media Cubs, a summer club for young people to make sense of the media. Media Cubs will take place throughout the school holidays in Greater Manchester. Contact grace@yellowjigsaw.co.uk.

News literacy and children’s wellbeing webinars - NewsWise

NewsWise are running two free news literacy webinars for teachers, educators, librarians and media literacy professionals: Talking about the news and supporting children’s wellbeing on Tuesday 4 June and How to teach news: transform your classroom into a newsroom on Tuesday 11 June. Contact newswise@theguardian.com.

Research

Teen girls’ experiences of harm online – Internet Matters

Our latest Digital Wellbeing Index shows that teen girls experience more negative outcomes online than other children. This research dives further into these experiences to identify what can be done to help girls enjoy time online without facing harassment. Contact simone.vibert@internetmatters.org.

Link found between news literacy and civic engagement

New research conducted by the University of Birmingham and University of Liverpool has found a link between news literacy and civic engagement in children aged nine to 11 for the first time. The research also found that the NewsWise programme improved children's ability to spot mis and disinformation. Contact newswise@theguardianfoundation.org.

Report on WhatsApp’s misinformation warning tags

Read the new public report from the Everyday Misinformation Project at Loughborough University. The findings, which come from our nationally representative survey of 2000 members of the UK public, cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of WhatsApp's misinformation warning tags. Contact a.chadwick@lboro.ac.uk.

Empowering parents: Understanding Deepfakes – Internet Matters

This guide examines deepfake technology, underscoring its role in spreading misinformation. To safeguard children, parents should teach source verification, set parental controls, and stress the importance of privacy. Contact simone.vibert@internetmatters.org.

Review investigates harmful content on Kick - VoiceBox

A brand-new youth review from VoiceBox investigates extreme and harmful content on Kick, a new live streaming platform, in competition with Twitch. Contact info@voicebox.site.

Children's Wellbeing in a Digital World 2024 – Internet Matters

This Index Report explores the dual effects of the online world on children, highlighting parental concerns over screen time's impact on family, health, and focus, reflecting growing apprehension regarding children's digital engagement. Contact simone.vibert@internetmatters.org.

Projects and initiatives

Behind the Headlines ambassador programme

There are still summer term spaces available for Behind the Headlines' free Media Literacy Ambassador programme. This trains 14 to 18-year-olds to teach their peers about media literacy and mis and disinformation. The programme is looking to work with schools in South and West Yorkshire. Contact educationcentre@guardian.co.uk.

Bee Smart evaluation – Internet Matters

This report evaluates the Bee Smart project in Greater Manchester, focusing on its impact on care leavers' media literacy. Utilising peer-to-peer delivery, the project addressed the online challenges faced by care leavers, aiming to enhance their digital literacy skills. Contact simone.vibert@internetmatters.org.

International

The Media & Learning: Back to the Future? conference

This will take place 20-21 June at the Provinciehuis in Leuven, Belgium. The conference will bring together a vibrant community of educators, researchers, and innovators passionate about leveraging media for enhanced learning experiences. More information including conference themes and registration can be found at: Media & Learning 2024 - Back to the Future? 20-21 June - Media and Learning (media-and-learning.eu).

Using computer games to combat disinformation

The Civil Resilience Initiative (CRI), a Lithuanian NGO dedicated to enhancing media literacy skills in Central and Eastern Europe has developed a game to strengthen disinformation recognition and develop media literacy skills. This has been adapted to several native Baltic languages, with an English language version available for adaptation in other countries. More information can be found at: The Disinformation Challenge: the power of game-based learning in strengthening media literacy - Media and Learning (media-and-learning.eu).

Ofcom activity

Final media literacy three-year strategy, statement and annual plan published

The Making Sense of Media programme has published three key documents setting out our work towards our goal of making media literacy everyone’s business. They are:

• A Positive Vision for Media Literacy, our three-year strategy where we set out at a high level what we will focus on to discharge our media literacy duties from 2024-2027. We published a draft version of the strategy in April which we consulted on in May and June.
• A Statement which explains the decisions we’ve taken and how we have taken account of the feedback we received through the consultation process.
• An Annual Plan which provides more detail on our work for the coming year.

We’d like to thank those of you who attended our events in the summer and responded to our call for responses to the draft strategy.

Four online services have pledged to adopt Ofcom’s best practice principles for promoting media literacy on-platform

Developing strong media literacy skills can help internet users engage with online services critically, safely and effectively. Online services have an important role to play in empowering people to make informed decisions about what they do online, including by offering users helpful tools and features such as prompts and notifications.

Google Search, The LEGO Group, Pinterest and Roblox have voluntarily signed up to adopt Ofcom’s Best Practice Principles for Media Literacy by Design, which have been developed in collaboration with expert representatives from industry, civil society and the academic community. In brief, the services pledge to adopt three common principles:

• become accountable for making media literacy a priority on-platform, and increase transparency surrounding what works when it comes to media literacy;
• develop user-centric design and timely ways to put user needs at the centre of the design process; and
• monitor and evaluate media literacy activities on an ongoing basis.

By signing up to adopt the principles, these services are committing to improving and adapting their approach to align more closely with best practice.

As part of the pledge, the services have submitted examples of how they are already implementing media literacy by design on their services, and areas they would like to focus on in the future. The examples submitted have been published and provide a benchmark against which future progress can be kept under review, and represents a public commitment to ongoing, accountable action. 

Ofcom encourages other online service providers to publicly demonstrate their commitment to their users’ media literacy by signing up to the pledge.

Join us at our winter conference in central London

The Making Sense of Media team is holding its annual winter conference ‘Good news, bad news or no news?’ on Wednesday 27 November 2024.

Join thought leaders, experts and practitioners at this free, day-long event in central London to explore all things mis and disinformation, news and elections.

Use this link to sign up. Details on speakers, and the agenda, will be published soon.

What works in delivering media literacy activities - webinars

Come along to our three webinars and hear from the organisations featured in our recent report. The events will focus on the cohorts outlined in the report including a panel discussion with the expert organisations and a question-and-answer session. Click on the date and time to register for each event.

• Thurs 17 October 4-5.30pm What works for older adults’ media literacy?
• Thurs 7 November October 12.30-2pm What works for children and young people’s media literacy?
• Thurs 21 November 12.30-2pm What works in media literacy for Disabled people and people with learning disabilities?

Join us online in Global MIL week for the launch of our bank of outcomes

Sign up for an online session at 11am on 24 October where we will share the latest extension to our Evaluation Toolkit – our bank of outcomes, indicators and survey questions.

The resource comprises a set of 24 outcomes with example indicators and survey questions, structured around five areas, each corresponding with a different aspect of media literacy. It can assist with initial planning by helping you choose appropriate outcomes for project activities and provide inspiration for indicators and data collection.

In this webinar we will introduce the resource, explain how we went about putting it together and share details of workshops we will be running this winter to explain more about how you might use it.

Research

Children’s digital play and wellbeing

In May, the University of Sheffield was delighted to launch its research on children's digital play and wellbeing. The findings are presented in our mini-site, where you can also access our research reports (under 'All publications'). For more information contact Dr Fiona Scott. 

Exploring effective methods to prevent the sharing of ‘self-generated’ child sexual abuse

Internet Matters has worked with young people, parents and professionals to understand how preventative messaging can be designed and deployed to prevent the sharing of ‘self-generated’ child sexual abuse material among pre-teens. This research explores effective prevention methods. For more information contact Katie Freeman-Tayler.

Report explores challenges of digital inclusion work on the frontline

The Mhor Collective has published an insight report exploring the challenges of digital inclusion work for frontline organisations in supporting women and girls who are victims of violence. For more information contact Mhorcollective.  

UK adults’ perspectives on the potential of emotional AI tech for manipulating people

With growing interest in the use of AI to profile and interact with human emotion (“emotional AI”), this paper from the Emotional AI Lab ascertains UK adults’ perspectives on the potential of emotional AI technologies for manipulating people.  For more information contact Professor Vian Bakir.

How do people navigate numerical dis and misinformation

A new article from the Everyday Misinformation Project at the Online Civic Culture Centre at Loughborough University explores how people navigate numerical dis and misinformation on personal messaging platforms. For more information contact Professor Andrew Chadwick.

Understanding parents’ views on smartphone and social media use

In response to recent debate on restricting children’s smartphone and social media use, Internet Matters commissioned research to understand UK parents’ views on this topical issue. The Digital Dilemmas Report brings together the findings and highlights the nuanced views of a range of parents. For more information contact Katie Freeman-Tayler.

Events

Panel exploring what Information Literacy means as a discipline

Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2024 is approaching, and with it the Information Literacy Group are hosting an international panel session online, on 24 October, looking into what Information Literacy means as a discipline, and how we can advance conversations around this topic. For more information contact the ILG Comms Team.

The Guardian Foundation: webinar on participatory approaches to media literacy education

Join experts from the Guardian Foundation for an online event: media literacy to media fluency webinar on 15 October. At this webinar you can access resources tailored to the age of the young people you work with and hear from experts at The Guardian Foundation about how participatory, immersive approaches to media literacy education can build young people's resilience to disinformation. For more information contact The Guardian Foundation.

Projects and iniatives

SCVO publishes media literacy tool to support new internet users

SCVO's Digital Inclusion Team have developed and published a media literacy tool to support new internet users and learners to navigate important tasks and use the internet responsibly. Try it out and read more about it in their blog Let's think about media literacy and Cool for cats: being curious not careless online.

For more information contact Jason Railton.

Internet Matters: recommendations for improving media literacy education in schools

Ahead of the Government’s Curriculum Review, Internet Matters has published its recommendations for improving media literacy education in schools, Charting the Path for Media Literacy in Schools, including embracing a whole family approach, training teachers, building a cross-sector coalition, raising media literacy’s status and setting standards. 

For more information contact Katie Freeman-Tayler.

ParentZone: Everyday Digital Habits campaign

Parent Zone has launched a new #EverydayDigitalHabits video campaign – outlining simple habits that can help parents build positive media literacy skills and behaviours. Family-facing organisations can add these videos, and other expert content, to their site with the Everyday Digital widget.

For more information contact everydaydigital.

Anti Bullying Week 2024: Choose Respect

Anti-Bullying Week 2024 is taking place from Monday 11th - Friday 15th November, with the theme: ‘Choose Respect’. The Anti-Bullying Alliance have created everything you need – entirely free of charge - including: School Packs, Odd Socks Day Pack, Parents and Carers Pack and much more!

For more information contact the Anti Bullying Alliance.

SOUK launches new APPG on political and media literacy

The newly expanded APPG on Political and Media Literacy will be officially launching in October. The APPG provides an all-party forum to discuss the current provision of citizenship, political, and media literacy education and to explore how best to strengthen such education for young people.

For more information contact Jillian Rolnick.

MILA briefing note calls for MIL in school curriculum review

The Media and Information Alliance have published an open briefing note to MPs, peers and policymakers explaining the importance of media and information literacy as an integral part of school education and calling for MIL to be properly addressed in the forthcoming review of the school curriculum.

For more information contact Stéphane Goldstein.

International

Call for action against companies which allow students to pay others to do their assignments

The Global Academic Integrity Network representing 40 international education regulatory bodies has called on social media and online platforms to take a stand and join the fight against academic dishonesty by refusing to carry advertising from academic companies where students can pay someone else to do their assignments, and exams. The network believes this action is vital to protect learners. For more information contact Gráinne Mooney.

Celebrating Global Media and Information Literacy Week 24-31 October

UNESCO MIL Conference week is being livestreamed. More information on the conference is available at Global Media and Information Literacy Week Feature Conference 2024 | UNESCO. Registration (including for virtual attendance) is available at Global MIL Week Feature Conference 2024 (30-31 October 2024): Registration · Indico.UN. If organisations want to register their own event happening locally, they can do so at Register Your Own Event.

Join the MLA for a week of media literacy events

The Media & Learning Association (MLA) is organising in collaboration with several partner organisations a full week of Media Literacy events! This initiative is part of UNESCO’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week, dedicated to enhancing global media literacy. For more information contact Chloé Pété.

Ofcom activity

Making Sense of Media (MSOM) winter conference – Good News, Bad News or No News

Over 100 people participated in the Good News, Bad News, or No News Winter Conference held on 27 November 2024.

We started the day by exploring how attitudes and habits around information consumption have evolved with data from our Understanding misinformation: an exploration of UK adults' behaviour and attitudes research, and the impact of misinformation on public trust in media and institutions.

• Marianna Spring, BBC Social Media Investigations Correspondent, shared fascinating insights from her observations of elections from around the world, highlighting how people experience mis and disinformation.
• Our expert panel: Dr Anna Black, Assistant Professor, Northumbria University, Amanda Gurruchaga, Head of Programmes, Shout Out UK and Yasin Erkul Facilitator, ConnectFutures discussed several real-world case studies, illustrating the various strategies employed by civil society to counter misinformation.
• Dr Melisa Basol, Social Psychologist, founder of Pulse, presented the concept of "prebunking" – proactively inoculating people against mis and disinformation– and explored its effectiveness.
• After lunch our panel session brought together experts; Georgina Lee, News Editor FactCheck and Data Channel 4 News, Richard Burgess, Director of News Content BBC, and Chris Morris, CEO Full Fact, shared their experiences with the tools and strategies in reducing misinformation, building trust with audiences and users.
• Attendees participated in interactive workshops; “Engaging and supporting different user groups”, “Mis and disinformation – User expectations of services and possible tech solutions”, “What works: does professional news work as an antidote to mis and disinformation”, diving deeper into specific challenges and examining potential tools to tackle mis and disinformation.
• Our final panel offered an in-depth perspective on Ofcom’s role in regulating and addressing misinformation, including current and future approaches to policy and enforcement.

A huge thank you to all our external speakers and workshop participants.

Making Sense of Media (MSOM) Advisory Panel

We are pleased to announce our incoming panel for the next two years. Please see details here for panellists and their bios:  MSOM Advisory Panel - Ofcom

Applications open for Ofcom’s Advisory Committee on Disinformation and Misinformation

Ofcom is inviting applications for its Advisory Committee on Disinformation and Misinformation. The committee will provide advice to Ofcom about specific areas of our work relevant to misinformation and disinformation as specified in the Online Safety Act.  For more information please see the role specification. 

Tender opportunity – Untold Stories: building news literacy skills in communities

Ofcom is working to improve people’s media literacy skills, including helping them to spot mis and disinformation and to understand how news is produced. To do this, we are commissioning media or news literacy programmes which will be delivered between January 2025 and January 2027.

We have published two tenders: one focusing on children and young people’s media literacy and one focusing on adults’ media literacy.

It is likely that your organisation has already developed a media/news literacy programme, although it may need some adaptation to meet our requirements. Specifically, we are interested in hearing from organisations that can support people to be more able to identify mis and disinformation and will have a better understanding of news production, ideally through having produced their own local news reports.

The deadline for submission is midday on Monday 6 January 2025.

For more information or to submit a clarifying question, register on our etendering portal.

Ofcom publishes quantitative misinformation research

On 27 November we published our report ‘Understanding misinformation: an exploration of UK adults' behaviour and attitudes’ to coincide with our Making Sense of Media Annual Conference.  The report provides evidence of how UK adults think and feel about “false or misleading” information: where they see it, why they think it’s false or misleading, and what they do and feel as a consequence.

Key findings include:

Over two-fifths (43%) of UK adults say they encounter misinformation or deep fakes, and this was more likely for men, younger adults, those from an ABC1 background, minority ethnic groups, LGB+ groups and those with mental health conditions.
Among those who say they have encountered false or misleading information in the last four weeks, seven in ten say they have seen it online. Four in ten say they have seen it on TV, and two in five via print.

Nine in ten of those who encounter misinformation say they are concerned about its societal impact, and almost two-thirds say they are concerned about the impact on themselves.

The insight from this work is shaping our co-created qualitative research, to be published in the Spring, which will focus on developing messaging and approaches that can best support people to deal with mis and disinformation.

Research

Internet Matters  

Internet Matters has published its latest report, ‘The new face of digital abuse: Children's experiences of nude deepfakes.’ The report highlights the growing challenge of nude deepfakes, including teens' experiences and families' views on the prevalence of 'nudifying’ tools.  

For more information contact Katie-Freeman-Tayler.

DFC - Report on Smartphone policies in schools

Digital Futures for Children centre (DFC), London School of Economics and Political Science report on Smartphone policies in schools: What does the evidence say? explores the evidence from around the world, discussing potential benefits (limiting class distractions benefits learning) and the need for a nuanced approach (e.g. incorporation into the curriculum brings academic benefits).  Email Maria Stoilova for more information.

University of Sheffield - School of Journalism, Media and Communication 

Irini Katsirea and M. Thelwall were awarded a major research grant from the Gulbenkian Foundation, led by the University of Turku. The project, 'Unreliable science: Unravelling the impact of mainstream media misrepresentation', examines the prevalence of retracted scientific research in the media. For more information contact Irini Katsirea.

Events

The Guardian Foundation

Benefit from free training from The Guardian Foundation's news literacy experts in January. Join their online sessions about how to support children to produce authentic written and audio news reports or register your interest in in-depth CPD in your school. Run by the NewsWise team.  Contact Sorcha Hughes,  for more information.

The Guardian Foundation are running a webinar in January: Tackling media literacy in the classroom will explore a flexible media literacy program co-created with SEND teachers, offering practical activities and free resources to enrich classrooms. Participants will gain strategies to support critical literacy and foster understanding of media’s impact on behaviour and wellbeing.  Contact Mena Sultan for more information.

Projects and initiatives

Association for Citizenship Teaching:

ACT’s "Media Matters" course helps educators teach media and information literacy. It covers critical topics like misinformation and the role of media in democracy, providing practical strategies for engaging students. 

To support the release of the Netflix documentary, 'Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy', ACT has developed a two free lesson plans for teachers with accompanying resources to prompt student's critical thinking about how advertising influences consumer choices and drives impulsive buying. 

For more information contact info@teachingcitizenship.org.uk 

BBC Bitesize

The Other Side of the Story campaign from BBC Bitesize has wrapped on a new series of media literacy workshops in secondary schools around the UK. They support students with critical thinking skills and give them practical insight into how news stories are constructed, and often manipulated, online.

Internet Matters – Resources:

Deepfake - guidance for parents and carers

Internet Matters has produced guidance for parents and carers on deepfake technology and how AI can be used to spread misinformation and disinformation, as well as practical tips to keep children safe online. 

My first console - guidance for parents and carers

Internet Matters has produced a guide for parents and carers to help their children safely experience all the benefits of gaming on their first console, with tips and advice on parental controls to support safer online play. 

Social media safety checklist for parents

In response to conversations around restricting social media, Internet Matters has produced a social media safety checklist for parents and carers to help them keep their children safe online. 

For more information contact Katie-Freeman Tayler.

Media Smart UK 2024 Campaigns

Media Smart’s highly successful 2024 campaigns included Scam Awareness and Political Advertising, focused on increasing levels of understanding amongst 13-25 yrs. The team also continued delivery of its careers workstream, and in 2025 will launch a Parents' Digital Literacy campaign with TikTok.  Contact Rachel Barber-Mack for more information.

Parent Zone - Media Literacy Campaign for Parents

Parent Zone is launching a December seasonal media literacy campaign for parents, highlighting simple habits that can help to navigate online content, environments and positive behaviours over the festive period. You can follow these on the Parent Zone socials and YouTube channel.  For further information contact Parent Zone.

International

Getting Better Foundation 

US-based Getting Better Foundation, in cooperation with the US Department of State, Universities, and American Corners continues to make available award-winning "Trust Me" Documentary and its non-partisan curriculum and discussion guides for student assemblies and media literacy PD globally www.trustmedocumentary.com.  For more information contact Rosemary Smith

MediaSmarts Canada - Campaign Materials

MediaSmarts has released new campaign materials for their Break the Fake house hippo campaign as part of an AI literacy initiative, which includes new videos and educational resources designed to encourage everyone to check the information they see online before they share it in the deepfake. 

Media and Learning Association: Games for Good session

In this session on Wednesday 11 December from 2pm to 3.15pm, the Media and Learning Association will explore the transformative potential of games as educational tools and delve into how they can be leveraged for social activism and awareness. You can sign up here: Games for Good: Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship - Media and Learning Association. Contact Chloé Pété, Media and Learning Association for more information.