Now more than ever, media literacy is an essential skill. With social media being a main source of news, it’s important to know how to assess information. A 2023 study shows that only 41% of children aged 8-16 were confident they could tell apart real and fake news. Media technology has changed the way we consume news, conduct business and socialise. Yet, this technology needs specific training to use effectively. Children who don’t get this training, can struggle with reasoning and decision making. The Australian Curriculum is one of the first to include media literacy as a goal – but there is still some way to go. Read on to learn about media literacy, and how to ensure kids are best prepared for life in the digital age.
Professor Michael Dezuanni, from QUT describes media literacy as:
“the ability to actively consume, create and share media and to critically reflect on the social, cultural and political roles played by various media and communications forms.”
Let’s break that down further. In high-school English, you may have discussed a story’s purpose, theme, and context. You might have also written a story yourself, assessed on vocab and grammar to get your point across.
Now, imagine that – but instead of “To Kill a Mockingbird”, it’s a news article on an upcoming election.
With media literacy skills, one should be able to analyse how things are represented in media, and identify larger societal themes. Who wrote this article? Who is it written for? Who does it benefit?
Dezuanni says it’s impossible to be ‘media literate’, because media is always changing. Rather than a skill to be mastered, like riding a bike, media literacy asks us to think deeper. Drawing on context to consume media as a larger picture than just the article on your screen. As contexts are always changing, Dezuanni encourages tackling media literacy basics at school.
By 2030, as many as 1.3 million workers may need to transition to occupations that use AI technology. On top of this, AI is predicted to create 200,000 new jobs in the same timeframe. As AI becomes more accessible, the risk of misinformation grows. This makes media literacy critical for the next generation of Australians. Students should be able to fact-check content and assess whether a source is reliable. AI can create information that is indistinguishable from genuine content. While it can be productive, AI use requires training. Training should cover ethical implications, privacy, and AI’s predicted impact on the workforce. Day of AI Australia, a program providing AI literacy for classrooms says:
“AI literacy is not just about understanding the technology; it’s about fostering critical thinking, ethical awareness and the ability to work alongside AI responsibly and effectively.”
This is one example of how ‘media literacy’ is not an all-encompassing definition. Rather, it is a skillset that evolves over time. Without this, students are more likely to unknowingly share false, or AI generated information. Ensuring fact-checking and source evaluation training in schools is vital to prevent misinformation.
There aren’t any specific media literacy courses in the Australian curriculum. But there are still steps that educators can take without a formal curriculum. Media literacy skills are required across many subjects and topics. Maybe through pop culture, history and more. Curriculums provide many opportunities for educators to introduce media literacy to students.
Dezuanni likes to tackle these opportunities using the “TRAILR” framework:
T: Technologies
R: Representations
A: Audiences
I: Institutions
L: Languages
R: Relationships
Educators can use these six concepts to encourage critical thinking. It doesn’t have to be complex. Just simple adjustments so students have an opportunity to flex their literacy muscles. If educators encourage students to reflect on a favourite TV show, they create a culture of critical thinking. Media literacy doesn’t have to be an extra subject for the child to balance. Adding TRAILR into familiar things prepares them to apply these skills in the future.
In an age of technology, students need literacy skills to assess the media they consume. In times like the Covid-19 pandemic, society needs media to keep themselves safe. If children aren’t prepared adequately, it may lead to catastrophic outcomes. Parents and teachers play a vital role in supporting them to develop these skills, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Encouraging children to think about their media choices will help them function independently as an adult.