by Julia Cooke, Ofcom, United Kingdom.
For Ofcom, the UK’s independent communications regulator, media literacy is everyone’s business. A media literate population with the skills to critically assess the content they see, and with the skills and tools to shape their own media experiences, is better able to participate in civic life and in society more broadly.
Media literacy has been an important part of Ofcom’s role since we were established in 2003. We are delighted to share that last month, following consultation and engagement, we have published 10 Media Literacy Recommendations for online services, broadcasters, streaming services and other content-related service providers, such as generative AI services. Together, they set out what we think ‘good’ looks like in supporting media literacy, and aim to help create content and media environments that will actively empower users and support critical engagement.
We know that online services have high-attention relationships with their users, and broadcasters, including public service broadcasters (PSBs) have high-trust relationships with their audiences. This means that while the way they do things might differ, online services and broadcasters are uniquely placed to support the development of media literacy skills for their users and audiences.
The recommendations are set out in four groups:
- service design,
- during use,
- beyond the service, and,
- evaluation.
The first two groups are intended for online and content-focused services that aggregate, distribute and publish content to reach audiences. They focus on how these service providers can best design their environments to enable informed choice and empower users in real time. The remaining recommendations extend to all service providers, including broadcasters and streamers. The recommendations are designed to achieve four broad outcomes:
- Services are designed to give people meaningful choice in how they engage with content (Recommendations 1 and 2). That means making inclusive design and policy choices right from the start and providing transparent information – including explaining how recommender systems operate – at key points in the user journey.
- People are empowered to actively manage and control their own experience (Recommendations 3 to 6). Service providers should equip people with practical tools to manage and personalise their online experiences and empower them with the skills to critically assess the credibility of the content they encounter. Service providers should also support parents and caregivers to guide younger users in an age-appropriate way and engage third parties to extend the reach and impact of their media literacy initiatives.
- Service providers contribute to the broader media literacy landscape through partnerships and outreach to build trust (Recommendations 7 to 9). Service providers should create and promote relevant programming or educational initiatives to support critical engagement with content. We expect service providers to commit to long-term, sustainable investment in media literacy campaigns, content and partnerships, including those which target underserved and diverse audiences.
- Driving continuous improvement through ongoing evaluation of what works (Recommendation 10). Service providers should regularly assess the impact of their design choices and media literacy activities and publish their findings, as well as publishing an annual statement on their activities.
What’s next?
We will review and revise the recommendations in 2029. In advance of that, we will report on how service providers have adopted the recommendations. To learn more about the ten recommendations, you can read Ofcom’s recommendations and the consultation documents.
This is just one part of our Making Sense of Media work, so if you’d like to find out more, for example about our research, sign up to our media literacy bulletin or have a look at Ofcom’s three year media literacy strategy.
Author
Julia Cooke, International Policy Manager – Online Safety, Ofcom, United Kingdom.
