Policy Press
Eighteen Media literacy
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Abstract
Across Europe and beyond, the promotion of media literacy for both children and adults has acquired an important public urgency. Citizens need to be media literate; it is claimed, to enable them to cope more effectively with the flood of information in today’s highly mediated societies. As teachers, politicians, and policy makers everywhere struggle with this rapid shift in media culture, greater responsibility is placed on citizens for their own welfare in the new-media environment. This chapter focuses on how media literacy might be achieved. First, it examines how media literacy has been defined, with particular reference to the growing importance of digital literacy. Second, the chapter examines how media literacy has been adopted within policy frameworks as a response to rapid technological change. Third, the chapter critiques the ‘technological literacy’ that dominates much of the current policy agenda, and argues for a new approach based on better knowledge about children and young people’s media and internet habits.
Abstract
Across Europe and beyond, the promotion of media literacy for both children and adults has acquired an important public urgency. Citizens need to be media literate; it is claimed, to enable them to cope more effectively with the flood of information in today’s highly mediated societies. As teachers, politicians, and policy makers everywhere struggle with this rapid shift in media culture, greater responsibility is placed on citizens for their own welfare in the new-media environment. This chapter focuses on how media literacy might be achieved. First, it examines how media literacy has been defined, with particular reference to the growing importance of digital literacy. Second, the chapter examines how media literacy has been adopted within policy frameworks as a response to rapid technological change. Third, the chapter critiques the ‘technological literacy’ that dominates much of the current policy agenda, and argues for a new approach based on better knowledge about children and young people’s media and internet habits.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Notes on contributors v
- Acknowledgements xvii
- Introduction 1
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Researching European children online
- What we know, what we do not know 19
- Research with children 31
- Opportunities and pitfalls of cross-national research 41
- Cultures of research and policy in Europe 55
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Going online: new opportunities?
- Opportunities and benefits online 71
- Adolescents and social network sites: identity, friendships and privacy 83
- Young people online: gender and age influences 95
- Digital divides 107
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Going online: new risks?
- Risky contacts 123
- Inappropriate content 135
- Problematic conduct: juvenile delinquency on the internet 147
- Children and the internet in the news: agency, voices and agendas 159
- The role of parental mediation in explaining cross-national experiences of risk 173
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Policy implications
- Maximising opportunities and minimising risks for children online 187
- Parental mediation 199
- Making use of ICT for learning in European schools 217
- Media literacy 229
- Conclusion 241
- List of country codes 253
- Children and parents online, by country 254
- The EU Kids Online network 257
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Notes on contributors v
- Acknowledgements xvii
- Introduction 1
-
Researching European children online
- What we know, what we do not know 19
- Research with children 31
- Opportunities and pitfalls of cross-national research 41
- Cultures of research and policy in Europe 55
-
Going online: new opportunities?
- Opportunities and benefits online 71
- Adolescents and social network sites: identity, friendships and privacy 83
- Young people online: gender and age influences 95
- Digital divides 107
-
Going online: new risks?
- Risky contacts 123
- Inappropriate content 135
- Problematic conduct: juvenile delinquency on the internet 147
- Children and the internet in the news: agency, voices and agendas 159
- The role of parental mediation in explaining cross-national experiences of risk 173
-
Policy implications
- Maximising opportunities and minimising risks for children online 187
- Parental mediation 199
- Making use of ICT for learning in European schools 217
- Media literacy 229
- Conclusion 241
- List of country codes 253
- Children and parents online, by country 254
- The EU Kids Online network 257
