The bulletin summarises media literacy activities by a range of organisations in the UK and overseas. These activities include events, research, projects and initiatives and a range of international contributions.
Editorial note
Thank you to all who shared their updates for this edition of the Making Sense of Media bulletin. We have provided points of contact wherever possible, for the purposes of collaboration between network members.
A reminder that these updates are provided by our network members and reflect their individual views and contributions. Inclusion here does not imply endorsement by Ofcom.
Previous bulletins are available upon request.
Annual Adults’ and Children’s Media Literacy Research webinar
Wednesday 7th May 2025, 10.30am – 12.00pm
The event will share findings from our Adults’ and Children’s Media Use & Attitudes reports, and will provide an opportunity for Q&A. We will also show compelling video from our Adults’ Media Lives and Children’s Media Lives research.
We will focus on children’s experiences of and attitudes towards the online world, the extent to which adults and children evaluate and trust the information they see online, and their use of and attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence.
Please register for the event here.
MSOM Annual Conference 2025 – Save the date
Please hold Wednesday 3rd December 2025 in your diary for the Making Sense of Media annual conference, in-person, in central London. Further information and registration details to follow.
Best Practice Principles: Updates from online services that have pledged to adopt Ofcom’s best practice principles for promoting media literacy on their platforms.
In October 2024 we announced that Google Search, The LEGO Group, Pinterest and Roblox voluntarily signed up to adopt Ofcom’s Best Practice Principles for Media Literacy by Design, which have been developed in collaboration with expert representatives from industry, civil society and the academic community.
The four services pledged to adopt three common principles:
- become accountable for making media literacy a priority on-platform, and increase transparency surrounding what works;
- develop user-centric design and timely ways to put user needs at the centre of the design process; and
- monitor and evaluate media literacy activities on an ongoing basis.
By signing up to adopt the principles, these services committed to improving and adapting their approach to align more closely with best practice. As part of the pledge, the four services submitted examples of how they are already implementing media literacy by design on their services, and areas they would like to focus on in the future.
In May, approximately 6 months on from the initial announcement, we will publish the first update on the progress that services have made in line with their commitment. More information will be available on our website shortly.
New topics on Learn My Way
Ofcom and Good Things Foundation have partnered to produce new media literacy topics on the digital learning platform: Learn My Way. The new topics focus on managing personal information and digital wellbeing and will be live on learnmyway.com from 1 May, with more to come later in the year.
Working with OFCOM
Interested in working with Ofcom? To be alerted to tendering opportunities issued by the media literacy team, your organisation must be registered with our eSourcing portal which is hosted by Jaggaer (BravoSolution). Please see this link for information on Supplying Ofcom, which includes links to register on the eSourcing Portal.
In the coming months we expect to need support for our work on online misogyny and content of democratic importance. We also expect to appoint an organisation in Northern Ireland to support our placed based work there.
Senior Changes at Ofcom
Yih-Choung Teh will be leaving his role as Group Director, Strategy & Research at the end of April.
Yih-Choung joined Ofcom back in 2003 from a strategy consultancy, following an academic career at both Oxford and Cambridge. As a Director, he helped steer Ofcom through some huge strategic pieces of work, including a new telecoms framework that has transformed broadband connections for people around the country. He has led the Strategy & Research Group since 2018, as part of which he has overseen our media literacy work.
Yih-Choung is moving on to join Flint Global, a consultancy that advises on policy, politics, regulation, and competition. Because of the overlap with Ofcom’s work, he will leave Ofcom on 30 April.
Ed Leighton will be stepping up as Interim Group Director. Ed has been Director of Strategy and Policy for five years and has been responsible for Media Literacy since last year so knows the area well and brings a real curiosity and personal commitment to Media Literacy. Our work delivering the 3-year strategy continues unchanged.
Research from Cardiff University
This special issue, "UK Broadcasting and Media for Children: Past, Present and Looking to the Future," Journal of British Cinema and Television, Volume 22 issue 2, April 2025, assesses the BBC's role in shaping children’s entertainment and educational content from its inception in 1922 to the present day. For further information contact the editors Diane Charlesworth and Steven Barclay.
Parent Zone – Child Financial Harms Research
As part of ongoing work on Child Financial Harms, Parent Zone's new report explores what is available for enhancing parents' digital financial capability and highlights the need for improved support, coordination and resources in this rapidly evolving area. For further information contact Parent Zone.
Research from Mhor Collective
Echo Chambers and Empty Spaces report shares the insights of practitioners working with young men and boys, reflecting on the rise of online misogyny and how this relates to wider challenges of digital inequality. For more information contact Irene Warner-Mackintosh.
The Social Media Challenge – Melissa Institute
The Social Media Challenge: Research-based Strategies to Protect Minds and Strengthen Communities. This online event, on Friday 2nd May 2025, 9:00am – 4:00pm EST, Zoom hosted by the Melissa Institute in Miami, will provide practical, evidence-based strategies for promoting mental health and online safety for young people. For further information email Melissa Institute.
Untold Stories – The Guardian Foundation
The Guardian Foundation will start work on Untold Stories, funded by Ofcom. This project in Greater Manchester and select London boroughs will teach primary and secondary school children how to understand online content and how to create news stories, with an emphasis on amplifying young people's voices. The testing and pilot phase begins in summer term. For further information please email: behindtheheadlines or NewsWise.
Media Smart – Educational Campaign
Media Smart has launched 'Teens, Social Media & You'. An educational campaign with TikTok to help parents better understand their childrens’ online world and to encourage conversation. Rolling out in the UK and Europe - it includes short 'social' films and a detailed discussion guide.
For further information contact Rachel Barber-Mack.
MediaSmarts – Motives and Methods: Building Resilience to Online Misinformation in Canada
New research from MediaSmarts shows that educational videos can encourage people to fact-check and avoid sharing false information. The mixed-methods study was created to understand how Canadians check and share information, and to find out how to help them recognize and respond to misinformation.
Teacher Training in Italy - NewsWise, the Guardian Foundation
Teacher training took place in Italy. Developed and facilitated by Reggio Children and Dataninja, the training taught teachers how to use the NewsWise resources which have been adapted for the Italian context. Teachers across Italy will now be using NewsWise resources in their classroom. For further information please contact NewsWise.