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Media Literacy: FAQs

Strategy & Proposals

Section 11 of the Communications Act 2003 (the “Act”) places a duty on Ofcom to take steps to promote media literacy. Amongst Ofcom’s responsibilities under section 11 is the requirement to “bring about a better public understanding of the nature and characteristics of material published by means of electronic media”.

Ofcom consulted on its proposals for promoting media literacy in June 2004. Following this consultation, Ofcom published its approach to the promotion of media literacy on 2 Nov 2004 http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/strategymedialit/

Ofcom defines media literacy as “the ability to access, understand and create communications in a variety of contexts”.

Ofcom’s approach includes the following:

Research: In 2006 we published the first audit of media literacy across the UK. The research identified the issues and provided evidence to inform our priorities for developing greater media literacy amongst both adults and children. The Media Literacy Audit also identified different needs for sections of society.
The development of a common labelling system to enable greater consistency in presenting:
- information about content which could cause possible harm and offence; and
- information to protect young and vulnerable people from inappropriate material.
Ofcom carried out research to understand how people get information about the programmes they watch and if this was effective in guiding their family viewing. As a result of the research findings we have asked industry stakeholders, through the Broadband Stakeholder Group, to come together to consider the creation of a common framework for programme information.
Ofcom will also seek other opportunities to stimulate debate on media literacy issues as well as providing a range of support for related and relevant work undertaken by other organisation

Q&A

1. Does the Act allow Ofcom to enforce any recommendations on broadcasters and Internet services?

In the absence of specific broadcast licence conditions Ofcom could not enforce any recommendations. Ofcom’s regulatory duties do not extend to regulation of internet content.

However, Ofcom’s media literacy recommendations are consistent with other duties placed on it, including, for example, the setting of standards which broadcasters are required to comply with under Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code.

In particular:

Under section 3 of the Act, Ofcom’s principal duty is to further the interests of citizens in relation to communications matters. Ofcom also has a duty to ensure that adequate protection is provided from the inclusion in broadcast services of offensive and harmful material and must have regard to those, such as children, who are in need of special protection. (See section 3(1)(a) and 3(2)(e) and (h).)

Ofcom must set standards under section 319 to ensure that persons under the age of eighteen are protected and must have regard to the degree of harm or offence likely to be caused by particular sorts of material. In setting standards, Ofcom must have regard to the likely expectation of the audience; the extent to which the nature of a programme’s content can be brought to their attention; and the likelihood of viewers unaware of a programme’s content being unintentionally exposed to it. Ofcom must also have regard to the desirability of securing that any change affecting the nature of a service is suitably identified. (See section 319(4)(a), (c) to (e).)

As the UK Communications regulator, Ofcom is also responsible for ensuring that the UK’s obligations under the Television Without Frontiers Directive, as transposed into UK law, are complied with. These include ensuring that appropriate measures are taken to protect minors from programmes that are likely to impair their physical, mental or moral development and ensuring that when such programmes are broadcast in unencoded form they are preceded by an acoustic warning or are identified by the presence of a visual symbol throughout their duration. (See article 22 of the Directive.) They also include taking appropriate measures with respect to advertising and promotion, such as ensuring that television advertising and teleshopping are readily recognizable as such and kept separate by optical and/or acoustic means (see article 10 of the Directive).

As technology advances, it is recognised that there is an increasing need to ensure that people, and children in particular are able to read images and understand how advertising functions.

2. Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, has stated that promoting media literacy is vital, how is she involved?

"I believe that in the modern world media literacy will become as important a skill as maths or science. Decoding our media will be as important to our lives as citizens as understanding great literature is to our cultural lives.”
The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP

DCMS is fully briefed on our plans, are supportive of what we do and part-fund the activity.

3. Are you also working with the DfES?

We have met and discussed our plans with DfES and Becta (Becta is a UK agency which supports all four UK education departments in their strategic ICT developments.). We are represented on Becta’s Safe Use of the Internet Policy Group which is formulating a national strategy for safe internet use in schools.

4. How will the various strands of the media literacy work be funded?

DCMS part-fund this work. Some funding may come from broadcast licence revenue set at the same level as pre-Ofcom.

As well as the work funded by DCMS, Ofcom undertakes and fully funds a range of work that supports this media literacy project. This includes activity in relation to Code development and implementation, consumer research including ease of use and uptake of technology, complaints and enquiries to the Ofcom Contact Centre, development and promotion of information and advice relating to digital technologies and liaison and lobbying of industry and political opinion formers in the UK and Europe.

5. Can you give specific examples of areas of your work that will apply to the Internet?

We target projects which seek to offer greater protection of young and vulnerable people online.

Research suggests that one of the main barriers to people using filtering technologies to manage their family’s online activity is the perception that it is difficult to install and not ‘user-friendly’. The Home Office have worked with Ofcom, industry and other stakeholders to create a British Standard for internet access control software. The standard will encourage the industry to make their products more effective and easier to use. The kite marks awarded to products which pass the standard will also help give confidence to the user and increase take-up.

Ofcom will signpost people to advice and guidance on the safe use of the Internet. For example, there are some useful websites which offer advice on the safe use of the Internet aimed at young people and parents. But, research suggests people don’t know about them. We have created an area of the Ofcom website which provides information on a range of issues related to media literacy. We publish quarterly bulletins to inform stakeholders and raise media literacy on their agenda.

We will continue to undertake research to better understand people’s use and expectations of content including that delivered over the Internet (by both fixed and mobile telephony)

Our research will help producers of both hardware and software to focus clearly on the needs of the users and help them to produce tools to manage content which are effective and easy to use.

6. Does Ofcom seek to regulate the internet?

In the Communications Act, Parliament made a clear distinction between broadcast content, which Ofcom is required to regulate, and internet content, over which Ofcom has no remit. The Ofcom Board believes this was the right approach.

7. What is Ofcom’s involvement in the British Standard for internet access control software?

The Home Office launched the British Standard for internet access control software on 13 December 2006. The Standard will encourage the industry to make their products more effective and easier to use. In the long term, the kite marks awarded to products which pass the standard should also give confidence to internet users and increase take-up.

Ofcom believes this will help parents to choose effective systems that can protect their children from unsuitable material on the internet. As such, the Standard has been jointly funded by Ofcom through its Media Literacy project.