Media Literacy Now: Advocating for Media Literacy Education

Media Literacy Now pushes for policy change in every U.S. state and at the national level to ensure all K-12 students receive comprehensive media literacy education and skills.

The Problem

Children today live in a media-saturated world. According to recent research, children ages 8 to 18 now spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes per day with entertainment media outside of school, a huge increase over the last decade. Many media messages contribute to public health issues such as obesity, bullying and aggression, low self-esteem, depression, negative body image, risky sexual behavior, and substance abuse. Without doubt, media has the potential to entertain and inform — and even educate — kids in positive ways. But for the most part, that’s not happening, because kids aren’t taught to use media thoughtfully.

The Solution

The mission of Media Literacy Now starts from the conviction that, “in the 21st century, literacy means media literacy.” They seek build a movement of people demanding policy change in every state and at the national level to ensure all K-12 students in the United States receive comprehensive media literacy education and skills. To that end, they provide policy and advocacy information, expertise, and resources to develop state laws to implement media literacy education in schools, so that students are taught apply critical thinking to media messages and to use media to create their own messages — “a key 21st Century skill."