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22. Our work provides an opportunity to focus stakeholders on the future needs of all members of society. Our principal role will be to provide leadership and leverage to help achieve this goal. We may also provide seed-corn funding for projects and activities that contribute to our objectives but would otherwise not happen. Ofcom has to prioritise its work in this area. We will consult with and involve stakeholders throughout the nations and regions, from all sections of society and of all ages to ensure a diversity of view.

23. Whatever we do to promote media literacy through stakeholders will have to result from persuasion and debate, as Ofcom has no formal power to require action to promote media literacy.

24. There are many stakeholders who have a part to play in improving the level of media literacy in both adults and children. Content producers, broadcasters, platform and network providers all have a responsibility in this area and are well placed to offer advice, support and guidance to their customers.

25. Formal education plays a vital role in laying the foundations of media literacy. Schools, colleges and universities offer opportunities for the development of skills at a variety of levels. They are also well placed to undertake research to inform future priorities and challenges. Informal educational opportunities in libraries, UK Online and community art centres give people beyond school age a chance to use the technology and experience the potential it offers.

26. The Home Office, Department for Education and Skills, Department for Culture Media and Sport and Department of Trade and Industry all have areas of responsibility related to media literacy.

27. Parents, carers, children’s charities, viewer and listener organisations and others are rightly focussed on issues of harm and offence, and protecting the young and vulnerable people from illegal, harmful and inappropriate content and services.

28. Organisations such as Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS - for premium rate telephony), Internet Service Providers’ Association, British Board of Film Classification, Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA - for the games industry), The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) and various European Union projects related to the Safer Internet Action Plan help provide users with the information and advice they need to benefit from new communications technologies.

Responses to the consultation

29. There was little comment on our proposed approach. Where there was comment it supported our approach to lead and lever stakeholders’ activity. There were some calls for Ofcom to take a more active role (Voice of the Listener and Viewer (VLV) and others). News International commented that consumers and markets promote media literacy very effectively out of commercial self-interest.

30. Some respondents (Centre for the Study of Children Youth and Media, Institute of Education, Regional Screen Agencies and others) considered our work should place more emphasis on people acquiring greater appreciation, aesthetic discrimination and critical awareness of content. Some (BECTA and others) suggested that the production of content was a way to greater media literacy and should be encouraged.

Ofcom’s response

31. We welcome the support given to our approach to provide leadership and leverage with stakeholders to focus on the future needs of all members of society. We will take positive action where necessary and appropriate in achieving its goal of promoting media literacy.

32. In the early years of our work in media literacy we must focus our efforts where we can make most impact and where we consider the greatest risk to be for citizen-consumers. Some of our research will give us a greater understanding of people’s critical awareness, but most of our work will focus on issues of awareness, access and control of content. Ofcom recognises the importance of people being able to appreciate and be critical of content. We also recognise the important role production of content plays in developing confidence in the use of technology and greater media literacy. But to make substantial and timely progress in these areas would require resources beyond the scope of those available to Ofcom. Other stakeholders are often better placed than Ofcom to undertake work in these areas.

33. We have identified three priority strands of work that are outlined in the following sections of the Statement.

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