United Kingdom

1. Education for a Connected World 2020 is a framework created by the UK Council for Internet Safety that aims to equip children and young people for digital life. It integrates guiding principles of the Recommendation such as appropriate use of digital tools, reliable information, participation skills, knowledge of rights and responsibilities, secure technical infrastructure.      

2. UK Digital Strategy 2022, developed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, outlines plans for the digital transformation of UK’s economy. In particular, Chapter 3 focuses on digital skills and talent and discusses strategies that could be employed to boost digital skills. The design of this strategy integrates guiding principles of the recommendation, for example increasing access and use of digital technologies, enhancing digital skills and secure online platforms.    

3. Online Media Literacy Strategy 2021 developed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. The goal of this strategy is to ensure that every internet user is equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge for online safety, such as understanding the risks of sharing private information online and the ability to decipher information found on the internet and differentiate between fake news and genuine news. It also embeds principles of the recommendation, for example increasing access to digital tools, developing critical thinking skills and enhancing digital literacy among UK citizens.   

4. Online Safety Act 2023 by the UK Parliament establishes a new legal framework aimed at making internet services safer for individuals living in the United Kingdom. This Act imposes duties on tech companies to reduce the risks of illegal and harmful content on their platforms especially for children, by ensuring services are safe by design and protecting individuals’ rights such as freedom of expression and privacy while on the internet. 

5. Media literacy is taught across the curriculum in England as follows:  

• relationships education (compulsory for all primary pupils) 

• relationships and sex education (compulsory for all secondary pupils) 

• health education (compulsory for all pupils in primary and secondary state-funded schools) 

• Citizenship (compulsory at key stages 3 and 4 in maintained schools) 

• Computing (compulsory at key stages 1-4 in maintained schools) 

6. In addition to what is contained in the national and wider school curriculum, it is worth highlighting content required in public qualifications. For example, in GCSE Citizenship Studies, students are taught about and assessed via examination on: the role of the media and the free press; and how digital democracy, social media and other measures are being developed as a means to improve voter engagement and the political participation of citizens. 

7. The Department has published guidance for schools as follows:  

• statutory safeguarding guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) provides schools and colleges with robust information on what they should be doing to protect pupils and students online. 

• non-statutory Teaching Online Safety in Schools. This non-statutory guidance was last updated in 2023 and outlines how schools can ensure their pupils understand how to stay safe and behave online as part of existing curriculum requirements.  

• Educate against Hate hosts a series of online media literacy resources, which seek to help young people evaluate the validity of information. 

8. The new government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review led by Professor Becky Francis CBE.  The Review seeks to ensure that the curriculum, assessment system and qualification pathways give young people the knowledge, skills and attributes they need, including digital, communication and life skills. Subject specific adjustments in primary and secondary education including subjects such as Citizenship, English and Computing where opportunities for DCE are most likely to exist, would only follow any decisions once the review panel has completed their work. The DfE is also currently carrying out further engagement on the Relationships, Sex, Health Education statutory guidance which currently includes aspects of online safety and media literacy. Children’s wellbeing is at the heart of this guidance for schools and, as such, the government will look carefully at the consultation responses, discuss with stakeholders and consider the relevant evidence, before setting out next steps. The government intends to legislate so that, following the Curriculum and Assessment Review and the implementation of reforms, academies will be required to teach the new national curriculum, alongside other state-funded schools. This will give parents certainty over their children’s education.      

9. Ofcom Three Year Media Literacy Strategy 2024. The development of this multi-year strategy is driven in part by new responsibilities outlined in the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA). The OSA has provided greater clarity and specificity to media literacy duties as originally set out in the Communications Act 2003. These duties include:  

Building awareness  

• Ofcom is to heighten public awareness and understanding of how people can protect themselves and others online.  

• Ofcom is to focus on groups disproportionately affected by harm, including women and girls, and help users understand and reduce exposure to mis and disinformation.  

• Ofcom has discretion on how to meet these duties (for example, pursuing activities and initiatives, or commissioning or taking steps to encourage others to do so) and how to prioritise different objectives. 

Encouraging technology and systems  

• Ofcom is to encourage the development and use of technologies and systems so that users of regulated services can protect themselves and others online (e.g., such as providing context to content).  

• Ofcom is to signpost users to resources, tools or information that can raise awareness about how to use regulated services to mitigate harms. Publishing a media literacy strategy and annual statement  

Publishing a media literacy strategy and annual statement  

• Ofcom is required to publish a media literacy strategy which sets out how we propose to exercise our media literacy functions, stating our objectives and priorities over a period not more than three years.   

• Ofcom’s annual report must contain a media literacy statement on the work. Specifically in relation to education, Ofcom is currently examining continuing professional development in order to evaluate and share best practice.  

Sources

1. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5efa05b4e90e075c5492d58c/UKCIS_Education_for_a_Connected_World_.pdf
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-digital-strategy
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-media-literacy-strategy 
4. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/enacted  
5. Online survey with national authorities 
6. Online survey with national authorities 
7. Keeping children safe in education 
8. Teaching Online Safety in Schools 
9. Educate against Hate Curriculum and assessment review – GOV.UK  Ofcom Media Literacy Strategy 

1. Education for a Connected World 2020: No Information was found    

 2. UK Digital Strategy 2022 developed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport: No Information was found   

 3. The Online Media Literacy Strategy 2021. The government is going to publish a ‘Safety by Design’ framework for SMEs and start-ups to guide the Design of online platforms with the aim of improving safety. Age Appropriate Design Code is a statutory data protection code of practice for online services, such as apps, online games, and web and social media sites, which are likely to be accessed by children. Companies in scope will have to comply with its requirements from September 2021. Each year – the Media Literacy Action Plan will be published, which is an annual action plan to detail Online Media Literacy Strategy, starting from 2021 until at least 2024/25. Each Media Literacy Action Plan will set out government-led and funded initiatives which will be delivered.  

The government has developed the SHARE checklist which aims to build audience resilience to mis- and disinformation online. The checklist provides the public with five easy steps to identify false content, encouraging users to stop and think before they share content online. 

Under the Online Media Literacy Strategy, between 2022 and 2024, DSIT provided almost £2.5million in grant funding for a range of projects, including educational interventions designed to empower users with the skills and knowledge they need to make safe and informed choices online. Evaluating these projects contributes to a shared evidence-base and will help facilitate more effective future interventions.  In 2024, DSIT is awarding almost £0.5 million in additional funding to scale up two media literacy programmes.  

• The National Literacy Trust is expanding their ‘Empower’ programme, delivering media literacy education with a focus on women and girls’ online experiences to students aged 11-16, and training schoolteachers to deliver media literacy topics.  

• Parent Zone is expanding their ‘Everyday Digital’ programme, which provides online resources and in-person training for family-facing professionals, parents and carers.   

4. Online Safety Act 2023 by the UK Parliament: No information was found  

5. Other initiatives/awareness raising activities 

 a) The UK Safe Internet Centre is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of internet safety among children and adults. It also protects vulnerable internet users from exploitation, including issues such as sexting, cyberbullying, and sextortion. For example, The UK Safe Internet Centre has established several hotlines where victims and other internet users can seek help or report instances of internet abuse.   

According to the national authorities responding to the online survey, beyond central government there is considerable work going on by universities, NGOs and charities to support and disseminate the principles of digital citizenship education. For example: 

b) The LSE (part of the University of London) Department of Media and Communications has a world renowned research centre which includes a research centre on Digital Futures for Children led by Professor Sonia Livingstone. The main focus revolves around a rights-respecting digital world for children. 

c) The Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT) has been leading work to support teachers in developing curriculum approaches and pedagogies to teaching digital citizenship and in using digital technologies to support Citizenship teaching. In 2024 ACT organised two teacher conferences: 

• February 2024, as part of ACTs work organising the Five Nations Network (a cross UK teacher and education network and annual conference), ‘Digital Citizenship – Friend or Foe?’ which included a key note from Professor Livingstone on ‘How disinformation threatens citizenship – young people’s right to access information in the digital age’. 

• July 2024, Developing the Digital Citizen – AI, Rights and Democracy which included a range of contribution and workshops on topics from deep fakes, and using AI in the classroom to how to handle conspiracy theories. 

In 2025 a third conference is being organised as part of the Five Nations Network. The focus is on: What is citizenship education’s contribution to preparing young people for digital citizenship? 

ACT has also published a series of teaching resources and developed CPD courses live and on demand to support media and information literacy through citizenship.  

ACT is the subject partner and author for the Oak National Academy, a government funded provider of ready to use lessons and teaching resources for schools. The Citizenship lessons designed for secondary education include: What is Digital Citizenship?; What is news? Should the media ever be censored? How does the media hold those in power to account. There are also example lessons on online safety provided under Relationship, Sex and Health Education. 

d) Ofcom is currently conducting of the media literacy teacher CPD offer in England. The intention is to understand what is currently available to teachers, mapped against Ofcom’s media literacy outcomes bank, and to commission courses in early 2025. The work will also identify any gaps in the current media literacy CPD offer. This builds on a pilot piece of work where Ofcom commissioned three training courses for professionals working with children and young people: teachers, residential care managers and children’s mental health professionals. Evaluation reports from the pilot projects will be published in early 2025.  

Sources

1. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5efa05b4e90e075c5492d58c/UKCIS_Education_for_a_Connected_World_.pdf
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-digital-strategy
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-media-literacy-strategy https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/60f6a632d3bf7f56867df4e1/DCMS_Media_Literacy_Report_Roll_Out_Accessible_PDF.pdf
4. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/enacted                                         

a) https://saferinternet.org.uk/            

b) Online survey with national authorities 

c) www.teachingcitizenship.org.uk/media-literacy 

d) Online survey with national authorities 

1. Education for a Connected World– 2020 edition: No information was found
2. UK Digital Strategy 2022 developed the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport: No Information was found
3. The Online Media Literacy Strategy 2021: No Information was found 
4. Online Safety Act 2023 by the UK Parliament: No Information was found 

According to the national authorities responding to the online survey, policies are currently under development. Any evaluation of implementation would follow once policies are settled. 

Ofcom are supporting organisations to evaluate their media literacy activities, including through publication of an evaluation toolkit and sharing successes and learning from their commissioned work, taking a “what works” approach. In their Three Year Media Literacy Strategy, Ofcom also commit to evaluate the effectiveness of their strategy.  

Sources

1. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/media-literacy/toolkit/
2. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/media-literacy/research-what-works-in-media-literacy/

1. Education for a Connected World 2020 was designed in partnership with non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations, and the public sector. For example Child Exploitation And Online Protection Centre, Childnet International , Department of Education, Department for Digital, culture, Media and Sport , The Education People , Education Scotland,  Health and Safety Executive(HES), London Grid for Learning, The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Parent Zone, Personal, social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE), The Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland(SBNI), SWGfL, The Welsh Government(Welsh: Llywodraeth Cymru) 
2.  UK Digital Strategy 2022 developed the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport: No Information was found 
3.  Online Media Literacy Strategy 2021. Over 5 stakeholders were involved the design of this strategy namely Technology companies, The Office of Communications (Ofcom), Civil society, Academia, Media Literacy Organisations, News publishers, and Youth forums                                                                                 
4. Online Safety Act 2023 by the UK Parliament: Ofcom conducted a 15 week consultation on codes of practice relating to illegal harms online (4a) and a 10 week consultation on codes of practice relating to the online protection of children (4b), including consultation of children (4c).                                    
5. The Department for Education is currently carrying out further engagement on the RSHE statutory guidance. The government state Children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of this guidance for schools and, as such, the government will look carefully at the consultation responses, discuss with stakeholders and consider the relevant evidence, before setting out next steps. The Curriculum and Assessment Review is looking at the whole of the curriculum and how it fits together to ensure that there is space for schools to provide a broad experience.  
6. The DfE Curriculum and Assessment review will seek to deliver an excellent foundation in the core subjects of reading, writing and maths, and a broader curriculum that readies young people for life and work, and reflects the diversities of our society.  The review group ran a call for evidence, receiving over 7000 responses, and held events over the autumn term to gather the views of education professionals and other experts, parents, children and young people, and other stakeholders. The feedback received will help the review group to consider its next steps and recommendations.  The review group will publish an interim report early in 2025 setting out their interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work and the final report with recommendations will be published in autumn 2025.   Digital literacy and skills was identified as a focus in the remit for the work of the expert panel. 
7. Ofcom’s Three Year Media Literacy Strategy involved an 8 week consultation which included written submissions and a series of events including online webinars, in person events and children’s consultations. Ofcom also regularly consult an expert media literacy advisory panel. Commissioned interventions, including project delivery and place-based approaches include citizen engagement and co-production approaches. 

Sources

1. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5efa05b4e90e075c5492d58c/UKCIS_Education_for_a_Connected_World_.pdf
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-digital-strategy
3. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/60f6a632d3bf7f56867df4e1/DCMS_Media_Literacy_Report_Roll_Out_Accessible_PDF.pdf
4. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/protecting-people-from-illegal-content-online/ 
   https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/protecting-children-from-harms-online/ 
   https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/consulting-children-about-online-safety/
5. Online survey with national authorities
6. Online survey with national authorities
7. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/media-literacy/msom-panel/  
   https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/media-literacy/research-what-works-in-media-literacy/ 

1. Education for a Connected World 2020: No information was found      
2. UK Digital Strategy 2022: No information was found               
3. Online Media Literacy Strategy 2021. The following stakeholders are involved the implementation of this strategy; The Office of Communications (Ofcom), Civil society organizations, News Organisations, Academia and Researchers, Public and Community Services.                                             
4.  Online Safety Act 2023 by the UK Parliament: No information was found 
5. The DFE Curriculum and Assessment Review is at an early stage.  
6. Ofcom’s work on Media literacy is at an early stage. Details of those currently involved in Ofcom’s work is included in the Three Year Strategy on their website.  

Sources

1. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5efa05b4e90e075c5492d58c/UKCIS_Education_for_a_Connected_World_.pdf
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-digital-strategy
3. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/60f6a632d3bf7f56867df4e1/DCMS_Media_Literacy_Report_Roll_Out_Accessible_PDF.pdf
4. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/enacted 
5. Online survey with national authorities 
6. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/media-literacy/ofcoms-three-year-media-literacy-strategy/ 

1. Education for a Connected World– 2020 edition: No Information found                      
2. UK Digital Strategy 2022: No Information found                                       
3. The Online Media Literacy Strategy 2021: No Information found                                              
4. Online Safety Act 2023 by the UK Parliament: No information found 
5. The DFE Curriculum and Assessment Review is at an early stage.  
6. Ofcom’s work on Media literacy is at an early stage

Sources

1. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/evaluating-online-safety-measures/ 
2. Online survey with national authorities 
3. Online survey with national authorities 

1. Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). It is an independent, non-profit charitable organisation working in partnership with a range of other organisations from the private, public and NGO sectors, internet and tech industries. The UK government’s role in the IWF is primarily supportive and collaborative rather than operational. The UK government facilitated the creation of the IWF in 1996 by coordinating discussions between internet service providers (ISPs), the Metropolitan Police, the Home Office, and other stakeholders. IWFis funded by the public and private donations to deliver a campaign helping both children and parents to understand the risks which can be posed online, specifically around youth-produced sexual imagery.      
2. Microsoft’s Digital Civility Index (Germany, Italy, UK)
3. Shout Out UK, non-partisan social enterprise, runs media and information literacy information campaigns across the UK. Shout Out UK delivers bespoke Media and Political Literacy programmes and campaigns, that support beneficiaries’ understanding and engagement with their democracy, confidence, emotional resilience, critical thinking, and which: instil a sense of belonging that helps counter the narratives which nefarious actors use to groom and target vulnerable individuals online. A recent example includes Dismiss, a social media campaign raising awareness of political misinformation in the run up to the UK General Election 2024, in partnership with Ofcom and The Electoral Commission.
4. Google Children’s Media Literacy Programme ‘Be Internet Legends’
5. Ofcom’s Three Year Media Literacy Strategy aims to “make media literacy everyone’s business” and commission activities relating to the areas specified in the Online Safety Act e.g. online misogyny, mis and disinformation etc. This builds on work trialled 2022-2024 and ongoing in local communities across the UK.
6. MySociety: MySociety is leading work under the brand TicTech to further explore pro-democracy technologies. Within this, there are two key activities: 

• Defensive democratic tech – defending the open society: anti-corruption, anti-misinformation, etc. 

• Constructive democratic tech – empowering technologies that build democratic fibre and capacity: participation and deliberation, community tools, civic response tech.      

Whilst this work is not currently designed for schools, the thinking here is likely to inform how the Association for Citizenship Teaching considers offering future curriculum development and teaching approaches when considering how digital citizenship is taught and the key concepts and skills that are included

In 2023 the BBC, the Royal Society and MySociety held a conference on a wide range of themes relating to AI and democracy.

Sources

1. https://www.iwf.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are/
2. https://microsoft.com/en-us/online-safety/digital-civility
3. https://www.shoutoutuk.org/about/  
   https://www.shoutoutuk.org/dismiss/
4. https://beinternetlegends.withgoogle.com/en_ie
5. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/media-literacy/research-what-works-in-media-literacy/ 
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=080zkJa6MHY
6. https://royalsociety.org/news-resources/projects/online-information-environment/                                                                                                                  

The Ofcom Three Year Media Literacy Strategy included an equality impact assessment. This is a standard part of policy development used by government departments and bodies

Sources

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/media-literacy/ofcoms-three-year-media-literacy-strategy/

1. Not a Member of DCE Promoters Network 
2. Global Education Network Europe (GENE)    
3. Member of INHOPE / INSAFE (Centres from BIK+) 
4. In April 2021, under the UK’s presidency of the G7, member states endorsed a set of G7 Internet Safety Principles. This included a principle highlighting the G7’s joint commitment to media literacy.         
5. The European Platform of Regulatory Authorities runs the EMIL (European Media and Information Literacy) taskforce, of which Ofcom are founding members and regular contributors.     

Sources

1. https://www.gene.eu/members  
2. https://www.betterinternetforkids.eu/policy/insafe-inhope 
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/g7-tech-leaders-agree-bold-new-proposals-to-boost-online-safety-worldwide        
4. https://www.epra.org/attachments?category=mil-taskforce                                                                                                            

Training on DCE to teachers and other professionals:

Initial Teacher Education providers have the option of including content and pedagogy that relates to DCE in their courses. It is not currently an explicit requirement in the core content framework created by the previous government and that is used by ITE providers. 

In-service training or continuing professional development is an open market and schools and settings can make choices about what they make available to their teachers. DCE could be included. As highlighted above Ofcom are undertaking some work to look at CPD in relation to media literacy, with a view to commissioning training in early 2025. 

This government is committed to introducing a new Teacher Training Entitlement to ensure teachers are up to date on best practice in their areas. 

Translation and dissemination of DCE Recommendation:

The content is in English and therefore accessible. Any translation into Welsh would be handled via the Senedd in Wales.