The MLA4MedLit conference is the Media & Learning Association’s annual online event dedicated to exploring emerging priorities in digital and media literacy. In previous editions, the conference has focused on teacher education, best practices, and the importance of shared standards in the field.
In 2025, the conference took a broader perspective—examining how digital and media literacy can strengthen democracy, foster civic participation, and empower people of all ages to navigate today’s increasingly complex information landscape.
At a time when public discourse, political engagement, and even personal relationships unfold largely online, media literacy is no longer just an educational issue—it has become a societal imperative.
The 2025 one-day online conference, held on Friday, 17 October, under the theme “Building Societal Resilience through Digital and Media Literacy for Everyone”, was inspired by a growing recognition that the health of our democracies depends on an informed and engaged citizenry. As digital platforms increasingly shape public debate and the flow of information, understanding how to participate, communicate, and exercise rights online is more critical than ever.
The right to access media literacy is no longer solely the concern of the educational sector—it affects society as a whole. Managing our media environments, particularly in an era increasingly influenced by AI, demands cross-sector collaboration and a significant increase in resources and attention, uniting activists, policy-makers, and practitioners.
This year’s conference brought together educators, teachers, researchers, policy-makers, civil society actors, media professionals, fact-checkers, public authorities, and private sector representatives to discuss how to make media literacy a cornerstone of digital citizenship.
Inspired by the Council of Europe’s European Year of Digital Citizenship Education, this year’s conference addressed three key themes:
- Being online: understanding and mastering the mechanisms of communication and interaction in the digital space.
- Well-being online: protecting mental and physical health, fostering balance, and ensuring personal safety in digital environments.
- Rights online: knowing and asserting your rights, respecting those of others, and acting ethically and responsibly.
Through keynote talks, panel debates, and case-based discussions, participants explored issues such as misinformation and disinformation, social media regulation, online polarisation, toxic online cultures, and the emergence of AI-driven tools. The conference showcased innovative practices, research insights, and cross-sector collaborations that can help strengthen democratic resilience, individual well-being, and civic participation in an increasingly digital society.
AGENDA
Welcome – Chloé Pété, Project Officer (Digital and Media Literacy), Media & Learning Association.
10:00 – 11:00: How extensive and effective is media literacy in today’s society?
How extensive and effective is media literacy in today’s society? How can we measure it at scale, and how does it translate into resilience in a digital society marked by misinformation, AI-driven platforms, and polarisation? From awareness to tangible impact, the focus is on what media literacy really achieves.
Keynotes:
- Skúli Bragi Geirdal, Head of the Icelandic Safer Internet Center, Iceland.
- Irene Christensson, Senior Analyst, Swedish Psychological Defence Agency, Sweden.
Moderator: Andy Demeulenaere, Mediawijs, Belgium
– 20-minute presentation each followed by a 15-minute general discussion and Q&A
11:15 – 12:30: Here is how we do it….. (Part 1)
This session will feature 3 presentations (15–20 minutes each), sharing case studies that connect to the key theme, highlighting how media literacy is being extended and delivered to support different sectors in the areas of being online, well-being, and rights online.
Speakers:
- Being online: Kari Kivinen, Member of the Commission, OECD and Code.org AI Literacy Expert Group, presenting the AI Literacy Framework
- Well-being: Chiara Antonelli, Project Officer, European Schoolnet, presenting the Digi.well project
- Rights online: Michael Dezuanni, Professor, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, talking about the Australian social media ban, and the alternative of the Children’s Internet
Moderator: Nicola Bruno, Dataninja, Italy
13:30 – 14:30: Here is how we do it….. (Part 2)
This session will feature 3 practitioner presentations (15–20 minutes each), sharing case studies that connect to the key theme, highlighting how media literacy is being extended and delivered to support different sectors in the areas of being online, well-being, and rights online.
Speakers:
- Being online: Ruslana Korenchuk, Head of Diia.Education, Ukraine, presenting the Diia.Education platform
- Well-being online: Ela Evliyaoglu, Clinical Psychologist, Youth Policy Expert, Researcher, and Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute (EUI), Italy, presenting research on AI Companions
- Rights online: Hugo Besançon, Deputy Director, SQUARE, France, presenting their work and report impact
Moderator: Chloé Pété, Media & Learning Association.
14:45-15:45: Panel discussion / What we have learned and Future outlook
Reflecting on what we have learned, and how we demonstrate the value of media literacy initiatives. The conference will conclude with insights from a rapporteur who will draw on the discussions from across the event, and two closing keynotes will outline key steps for the future.
Speakers:
- Anna Tsiarta, Educational Technology Department Officer, Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, Cyprus [Rapporteur].
- Nolan Hidgon, Faculty Lecturer, University of California, United States.
- Julian McDougall, Professor in Media and Education, Bournemouth University, United Kingdom.
Moderator: Sally Reynolds, ATiT, Belgium.
Recordings 🎥
External links 🔗
