Table of contents

Approximate read time: 16 minutes

On 16 March 2026 the House of Lords will debate the Communications and Digital Committee’s July 2025 report on ‘Media literacy’.

1. House of Lords committee inquiry into media literacy

1.1 Overview and findings

In March 2025, the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee set out to establish “a clear vision for what good media literacy would look like in the UK” as well as barriers to its achievement.[1] The committee defined being media literate as “having the skills to think critically about the content we create and consume, both online and offline”.[2]

Launching the inquiry, committee chair Baroness Keeley (Labour) said:

The ability to critically analyse media, communications and online content is of increasing importance to us all. Being media literate can help protect people of all ages from scams, disinformation and exposure to harmful content.

As online AI [artificial intelligence] tools become increasingly powerful it is vital that the public can understand what they are seeing and why. The fact that less than a third of adults are confident they can identify AI-generated content is deeply concerning.[3]

The inquiry was launched on 21 March 2025. ‘Oral evidence’ and ‘written evidence’ are available to read in full on the committee’s web pages. The report was published on 25 July 2025.

The report highlighted concerns about media literacy in the UK, including:[4]

  • public understanding of and vulnerability to misinformation and disinformation, scams and harmful content, with research indicating the UK is falling behind internationally in media literacy
  • media literacy teaching in schools was “sometimes limited to an annual assembly or relegated to optional subjects”, making provision a “postcode lottery”
  • outside school settings, for both adults and children, media literacy provision was led by “underfunded third sector organisations”
  • “limited join-up and no long-term strategic vision” from past media literacy initiatives across government

1.2 Recommendations

The committee’s main recommendations included:[5]

  • Embedding media literacy across the national curriculum: The government should use the curriculum and assessment review to embed media literacy across the curriculum, starting in the early years. Media literacy should be part of teacher training. Training and resources must be updated regularly.
  • Imposing a levy on tech companies: The aim would be to provide long-term sustainable funding for media literacy work. Ofcom should also set out minimum standards for platforms’ media literacy activity and use its powers to better understand the effectiveness of these activities.
  • Addressing the vacuum on media literacy delivery: The government should appoint a specific senior minister to drive the delivery of Ofcom’s media literacy strategy. The minister should coordinate cross-departmental activity within education, public services and local government.
  • Raising public awareness and targeting support for adults: There should be a public awareness campaign with simple messaging. This should be alongside signposting to further resources, year-long media literacy activity and support for local delivery partners. Targeted resources should be available for parents.

The report said that while Ofcom’s work, including the three-year strategy ‘A positive vision for media literacy’ (7 October 2024), was “valuable”, Ofcom could not deliver a “comprehensive media literacy programme across the UK”.[6] Committee chair Baroness Keeley said “only the government can drive real progress in this area”.[7]

The committee argued “government leadership, driven by a specific, senior minister, is essential to translate the regulator’s research on ‘what works’ into a more sustained, nationwide offering”.[8] The committee noted the government’s ‘Digital inclusion action plan’, but called for “sustained focus” on media literacy, concerned it would be “sidelined” to the broader plan.

2. Government response

Responding to the committee, the government said it agreed that “media literacy is fundamental to both individual empowerment and democratic resilience”.[9] The government said it was pursuing a strategic, cross-sector approach to media literacy, building on the 2021 ‘Online media literacy strategy’ and aligning with Ofcom’s three-year strategy.[10] It said it was working on a “vision statement that articulates the collective view and activity across government”.

The government also pointed to changes brought in by the Online Safety Act 2023. The act required Ofcom to raise awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially that which particularly affected vulnerable groups like women and girls. The government said “to meet these objectives, Ofcom needs to pursue, commission, or encourage other organisations to deliver media literacy activities and initiatives”.[11]

The government said the act laid the foundations for protecting users, especially children, from harmful content. For example, it enabled the Ofcom illegal content codes of practice (March 2025) and the protection of children codes of practice (July 2025).[12] These legally required all platforms in scope to have measures in place to remove illegal content and “to take robust, risk-based and proportionate steps to protect children from harmful content and experiences online”.[13]

The government also highlighted that Ofcom was actively working with platforms to embed media literacy by design and has published ‘Best practice design principles for media literacy ’, which platforms including Google, Pinterest, Roblox and Lego have pledged to adopt.[14] On the recommendation that industry fund media literacy through a levy, the government said “we see greater benefit in continuing to build on the diverse and dynamic funding landscape that already exists”.[15] Additionally, the Online Safety Act 2023 established that companies raising revenue from online services would cover the cost of regulation, including funding for media literacy duties.[16] The fees and penalties regime came into force in December 2025.[17]

The government said it had learnt from past media literacy initiatives, and had recently published research on parental media literacy.[18] It said this research would shape future interventions.[19]

In response to the committee’s concerns about coordination across departments, the government said its media literacy working group, established May 2025, was effectively “improving coordination and engagement across Whitehall”.[20] It said the group was established by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), with Kanishka Narayan, minister for AI and online safety, holding ministerial responsibility for media literacy coordination and strategy in government.[21]

On the digital inclusion action plan, the government said media literacy was embedded, contributing directly to aims on digital skills and confidence.[22] The government has set up a Digital Inclusion Action Committee, and emphasised committee members’ media literacy expertise.

While the committee called for long-term investment in discrete media literacy programmes, the government said it would be “taking an iterative approach to identifying what works in advancing digital inclusion”.[23] This meant projects funded by the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund were to be concluded by March 2026.

The government also said it was intending to publish its local media strategy by the end of 2025. The committee had highlighted the value of trusted news sources, repeated from its 2024 report ‘The future of news: Impartiality, trust and technology’.[24] In February 2026, the government has said the strategy was due to be published “in the coming months”.[25]

The committee and the government agreed that public libraries were well placed to assist with digital skills.[26] Additionally, the government said community groups and youth organisations had a key role.

The government said it would set up a dedicated online guidance hub for parents.[27] The hub, ‘Help your child stay safe online’ has been available since December 2025. The government also promoted the hub in February 2026, alongside a campaign encouraging parents to talk to their children about online safety using the hub’s tools.[28]

The government also said online safety and avoiding misinformation were covered in government-funded qualifications offered to adults with no or low digital skills.[29]

For children, the government said its curriculum review was considering what changes might be needed. In the meantime, it had already published updated statutory guidance for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) to be taught from September 2026.[30] Content was added on online misogyny, AI and deepfakes, fake social media accounts, online conflict and violent content.[31] The government highlighted existing resources for teachers and said it would work on how best to support teachers with any changes following the curriculum review.

3. Ofcom response

Ofcom also provided a response to the committee on the recommendations that applied directly to Ofcom.[32] It agreed with the committee that Ofcom could not deliver a comprehensive media literacy programme across the UK, but could support government and others to improve media literacy “by establishing what works, disseminating our findings, and leveraging our networks across civil society, local and national government, and industry to improve understanding and application of best practice”.[33]

The committee recommended that Ofcom update its definition of media literacy to explicitly refer to critical thinking. Ofcom’s current definition is “the ability to use, understand and create media and communications across multiple formats and services”.[34] In its response to the committee, it said that critical thinking was a key part of ‘understanding’ and critical thinking has been emphasised in other ways with stakeholders. However, it said the definition would remain under review.

The committee also recommended that Ofcom should prioritise longer-term, larger‑scale research programmes to strengthen the evidence base on media literacy.[35] Ofcom noted that its existing programme includes longitudinal studies which inform its wider work. Ofcom emphasised that its pilots are designed to generate insights that others can scale, and it shares research through published evaluations, sector events and regular engagement. Looking ahead, Ofcom reported the introduction of new multi‑year initiatives to test the added value of longer‑term interventions.

Ofcom said it was consulting on recommendations for platforms to support users’ media literacy.[36] The consultation closed on 8 December 2025.

The committee had asked Ofcom to explain how it would use its wider Online Safety Act 2023 powers to push platforms to do more for media literacy.[37] Ofcom said it had a range of powers to enforce its codes of practice and could take action when services did not meet their duties.

It noted that several measures in its codes support media literacy, such as clearer terms of service, simple complaints processes and better information for children at key moments online. It said “media literacy is woven throughout our work to drive change through the online safety regime”.[38]

4. Media literacy ranking 2026

When the committee undertook its inquiry in 2025, it quoted a ranking for the UK of 13th out of 41 countries in the Open Society Institute’s 2023 European media literacy index.[39] In the 2026 index, the UK ranks 10th.[40]

The index listed Denmark, Finland, Ireland and the Netherlands as having the highest media literacy. It said they demonstrated “a robust combination of free media, high quality education and high trust among people in society”.[41]

The Open Society Institute assessed the main challenges to media literacy as:

  • increased information warfare by foreign powers
  • rising domestic political polarisation, both as a cause and a result of disinformation
  • generative AI leading to the spread of misinformation and disinformation on social media

The government has the following view on the index:

While the Open Society Institute’s media literacy index is often cited, it primarily reflects structural inputs such as the quality of education, media freedom, trust in society, and the usage of new tools of participation. It does not directly measure users’ knowledge or behaviours and therefore offers only a partial view of media literacy outcomes.[42]

5. Curriculum and assessment review: Media literacy recommendations

In July 2024, the government commissioned an independent review of the curriculum and assessment system in England. The final report was published on 5 November 2025.[43] It concluded increased media literacy was important. In sections on media literacy and citizenship, it recommended:[44]

  • in subjects such as history and science where there are opportunities for critical thinking, teachers should make links to media literacy
  • the government should strengthen the role of media literacy in English and citizenship
  • the government should introduce a statutory measure to ensure that all children are taught a core body of essential citizenship content at primary school, including media literacy
  • citizenship should be added to the curriculum for key stages one and two
  • the secondary programmes of study for citizenship should be updated to clarify their purpose, improve specificity and improve progression from key stage three to four or to the optional GCSE (including a renewed focus on topics including media literacy)

In its recommendations for the citizenship curriculum, the report said “new content should ensure age-appropriate skills are developed from primary schooling onwards, including research skills and evaluating information and news sources”.[45]

The government agreed to implement the recommendations on a new statutory requirement for primary level citizenship teaching, as well as updating and embedding content on media literacy in the secondary years. It said:

We’ll teach our young people to think critically and act thoughtfully, armed with the digital, financial and media literacy they need to thrive in the modern world.[46]

In a written answer in December 2025, the government said it would “look for the earliest opportunity” to introduce the statutory requirement.[47] More generally, the new curriculum is expected to be implemented in full from September 2028.[48]

6. Government consultation on social media use

On 19 January 2026, the government said it would launch a consultation on children’s social media use.[49] The government said it wanted to ensure that children have “healthy online experiences”, building on the Online Safety Act 2023. The consultation is seeking views on a range of measures, including a potential ban on social media use based on age. The consultation opened on 2 March 2026 and will close on 26 May 2026.[50]

The government also announced that there should be no mobile phone use policies in schools, to be verified by Ofsted inspectors.[51]

On 21 January 2026, during report stage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill in the House of Lords, an amendment moved by Lord Nash (Conservative) was passed. The set of measures in the amendment included raising the age limit for access to social media to 16.[52] The bill is awaiting a date for House of Commons consideration of amendments made in the House of Lords.

7. Read more

Photo by Daniel Fazio on Unsplash

References

  1. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Media literacy inquiry’, accessed 26 February 2026. Return to text
  2. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Media literacy’, 25 July 2025, HL Paper 163 of session 2024–25, p 3. Return to text
  3. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Inquiry launched into media literacy’, 21 March 2025. Return to text
  4. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Media literacy’, 25 July 2025, HL Paper 163 of session 2024–25, pp 3–4; and House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Failure to prioritise media literacy in the UK presents a risk to social cohesion and democracy’, 25 July 2025. Return to text
  5. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Media literacy’, 25 July 2025, HL Paper 163 of session 2024–25, p 4. Return to text
  6. As above, p 3. Return to text
  7. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Failure to prioritise media literacy in the UK presents a risk to social cohesion and democracy’, 25 July 2025. Return to text
  8. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Media literacy’, 25 July 2025, HL Paper 163 of session 2024–25, p 4. Return to text
  9. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Government response to the House of Lords Communication and Digital Committee’s ‘Media literacy’ report’, 9 October 2025, p 1. Return to text
  10. As above, p 2. Return to text
  11. As above. Return to text
  12. Ofcom, ‘Statement: Protecting people from illegal harms online’, updated 30 July 2025; and ‘Statement: Protecting children from harms online’, updated 30 July 2025. Return to text
  13. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Government response to the House of Lords Communication and Digital Committee’s ‘Media literacy’ report’, 9 October 2025, p 2. Return to text
  14. As above, p 10. Return to text
  15. As above, p 11. Return to text
  16. As above, p 11. Return to text
  17. Ofcom, ‘Online safety fees: What the duties are and how to comply with them’, updated 2 March 2026. Return to text
  18. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, ‘Research and analysis: Parental media literacy’, 12 September 2025. Return to text
  19. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Government response to the House of Lords Communication and Digital Committee’s ‘Media literacy’ report’, 9 October 2025, p 5. Return to text
  20. As above, p 5. Return to text
  21. As above, p 6. Return to text
  22. As above, p 7. Return to text
  23. As above, p 9. Return to text
  24. House of Lords Library, ‘The future of news: Report by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’, 9 April 2025. Return to text
  25. House of Commons, ‘Written question: Local press (110363)’, 10 February 2026. Return to text
  26. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Government response to the House of Lords Communication and Digital Committee’s ‘Media literacy’ report’, 9 October 2025, p 13. Return to text
  27. As above, p 21. Return to text
  28. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, ‘Is your child influenced by toxic content? New government campaign supports parents to talk about harmful online content’, 10 February 2026. Return to text
  29. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Government response to the House of Lords Communication and Digital Committee’s ‘Media literacy’ report’, 9 October 2025, p 23. Return to text
  30. Department for Education, ‘Relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education: Statutory guidance for governing bodies, proprietors, head teachers, principals, senior leadership teams, and teachers’, July 2025. Return to text
  31. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Government response to the House of Lords Communication and Digital Committee’s ‘Media literacy’ report’, 9 October 2025, p 17. Return to text
  32. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Ofcom response to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’s ‘Media literacy’ report’, 3 October 2025. Return to text
  33. As above, p 1. Return to text
  34. As above, p 1. Return to text
  35. As above, p 2. Return to text
  36. Ofcom, ‘How to promote media literacy: Consultation on recommendations for online platforms, broadcasters and services’, 8 January 2026. Return to text
  37. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Ofcom response to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’s ‘Media literacy’ report’, 3 October 2025, p 3. Return to text
  38. As above p 3. Return to text
  39. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Media literacy’, 25 July 2025, HL Paper 163 of session 2024–25, p 10. Return to text
  40. Open Society Institute Sofia, ‘The media literacy index 2026’, January 2026. Return to text
  41. As above, p 2. Return to text
  42. House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, ‘Government response to the House of Lords Communication and Digital Committee’s ‘Media literacy’ report’, 9 October 2025, p 2. Return to text
  43. Department for Education, ‘Curriculum and assessment review final report’, 5 November 2025. Return to text
  44. As above, pp 39–40 and 62. Return to text
  45. As above, p 60. Return to text
  46. Department for Education, ‘Curriculum and assessment review final report: Government response’, 5 November 2025, p 5. Return to text
  47. House of Lords, ‘Written question: Citizenship: Teachers (HL12177)’, 20 November 2025. Return to text
  48. Department for Education, ‘New curriculum to give young people the skills for life and work’, 4 November 2025. Return to text
  49. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Department for Education, ‘Government to drive action to improve children’s relationship with mobile phones and social media’, 19 January 2026. Return to text
  50. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, ‘Landmark consultation seeks views on major measures to protect children on social media, gaming platforms and AI chatbots’, 2 March 2026. Return to text
  51. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Department for Education, ‘Government to drive action to improve children’s relationship with mobile phones and social media’, 19 January 2026. Return to text
  52. HL Hansard, 21 January 2026, cols 358–60. Return to text