‘’People who most often use social media to access news are less likely to correctly identify important factual information, feel more antipathy towards people who hold different political views and are less trusting of democratic institutions, than people who use TV and newspapers most often as a source of news.‘’
This quote from the Office of Communications (Ofcom), an independent regulatory body in the UK, is based on what we might call ‘old news’, as the data is from 2022 research. In the last four years, media has radically changed as AI technology has become embedded into daily lives through what seems like every information providing channel.
But this is not a problem just for the UK. A large-scale review of international implementation of media and information literacy in schools by UNESCO concluded in 2025: “The challenges of digital environments, now amplified by generative AI and emerging technologies, are reshaping how people access, interpret, and share information. Media and Information Literacy is more important than ever, yet its integration into education remains uneven. Critical thinking skills are often sidelined in many education systems, with the focus placed primarily on hard technical digital skills.‘’
In the UK, digital skills are included in our computing and digital technology curricula, but as exemplified by our online seminar speaker, Gianfranco Polizzi, when he gave evidence to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Select Committee inquiry, “when it comes to reaching children, media literacy education is not mandatory or firmly embedded in the UK school curriculum, and teachers need support and training.’’
School curricula are being reviewed in England, and across the world, policymakers and teachers are grappling with the dilemma of how to introduce teaching about AI technology, and how to improve media literacy.
Whether you are a teacher of English, Media Studies, or Computing, this is a problem you will be facing. Researchers, policy makers, school governors, parents, and education resource developers: AI technology is changing the landscape of media literacy in education and society, and action is needed to address this.
Please come along to our Media Literacy in the age of AI online seminar on Tuesday 16 June 2026 with Dr Gianfranco Polizzi (University of Birmingham) to hear about cutting-edge research in this area. Sign up here and please share.
This presentation draws on relevant research and evidence to examine the concept of media literacy and its importance in the age of AI, while also considering related and overlapping concepts such as AI literacy. Persistent gaps in media literacy across the UK population will be highlighted, along with some of the challenges involved in equipping both children and adults with the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing digital society. Some evidence‑based recommendations for future research, policy, and practice will also be presented.
Dr Gianfranco Polizzi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Communication at the University of Birmingham. His research examines how different groups develop and deploy the skills and knowledge they need to navigate online risks and opportunities and to participate in a digital society. His academic interests include media and digital literacy, media education, digital resilience, digital inequalities, digital citizenship, civic engagement and democracy. Gianfranco is currently co‑leading a Nuffield‑funded project examining the effectiveness of media literacy pedagogies on the wellbeing of secondary students, as well as a project funded by the Institute for Data and AI exploring AI use among young people aged 18–25 in relation to their mental health and wellbeing. He is a member of Ofcom’s Making Sense of Media Research, Evidence and Evaluation working group, providing advice on media and digital literacy research and provision in the UK. In addition, he sits on the Academic Advisory Group of the All‑Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Political and Media Literacy, run by Shout Out UK.
