Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with Ofcom on improving media literacy among parents and children.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy, including by raising awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups. The Secretary of State maintains regular, constructive engagement with Ofcom on delivery of its obligations.
Both Ofcom and DSIT are taking steps to improve media literacy among parents and carers and are working closely to ensure our approaches are complementary.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to promote media literacy among child users.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Supporting parents and children is central to our media literacy approach. On 10 February, DSIT launched a pilot media literacy communications campaign to give parents tools to help children build resilience and critical thinking skills online. A new Online Safety hub, developed with DfE, will provide everyone in the UK with clear guidance on media literacy and online safety.
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom has a media literacy strategy that prioritises support for children and families, especially those with additional needs.
In formal education, the Department for Education has committed to strengthening media literacy in the updated national curriculum.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the role of media literacy in helping children identify misleading or harmful online content.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Media literacy is currently covered in the citizenship, relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) and computing curricula.
Following publication of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report on 5 November 2025, vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy relevant to identify misleading or harmful online content will be embedded into the revised curriculum from 2028.
The department will engage with sector experts in working out how best to reflect this in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on the updated curriculum programmes of study, to seek views on the content before they are finalised.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to increases levels of emphasis on the development of work-related skills in schools and colleges.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
A reformed national curriculum will provide pupils with a broad range of knowledge and skills that prepares them for adult life.
The department will prepare young people for life and careers in a changing world, embedding vital applied knowledge skills in financial, media and digital literacy in the revised curriculum, improving climate and sustainability education.
We will make citizenship compulsory in key stages 1 and 2 and will explore a new level 3 qualification in data science and artificial intelligence.
We are also setting out a new enrichment framework for every pupil, which will help them play, explore, create, and develop wider life skills.
We will develop ‘V Levels’ as the pathway of vocational qualifications at level 3 for young people. These will be linked to occupational standards.
This will be complemented by sharing best practice between 16-19 providers to ensure students develop the important applied knowledge and transferable skills for adulthood.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to increases levels of emphasis on the development of essential life skills in schools and colleges.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
A reformed national curriculum will provide pupils with a broad range of knowledge and skills that prepares them for adult life.
The department will prepare young people for life and careers in a changing world, embedding vital applied knowledge skills in financial, media and digital literacy in the revised curriculum, improving climate and sustainability education.
We will make citizenship compulsory in key stages 1 and 2 and will explore a new level 3 qualification in data science and artificial intelligence.
We are also setting out a new enrichment framework for every pupil, which will help them play, explore, create, and develop wider life skills.
We will develop ‘V Levels’ as the pathway of vocational qualifications at level 3 for young people. These will be linked to occupational standards.
This will be complemented by sharing best practice between 16-19 providers to ensure students develop the important applied knowledge and transferable skills for adulthood.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to take steps to the Government plans to engage civil society on strengthening trusted information ecosystems.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Making information ecosystems stronger requires collaboration between Government, industry and civil society. Last year, Ofcom established the Online Information Advisory Committee, bringing together civil society and industry to build a deeper understanding of challenges relating to the online information environment, including suggesting options to tackle mis- and disinformation.
DSIT’s media literacy work supports people to navigate online systems safely. We are improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government delivery and collaboration with Ofcom and civil society. Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom also have a media literacy strategy, which prioritises work with civil society and communities to build online resilience.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies on media literacy and citizenship education of the findings of the report by Resilience and Reconstruction entitled Disinformation, UK Democracy, and Attitudes toward Ukraine & Russia in the UK, published in January 2026, on passive exposure to misinformation via social media.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups.
The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help tackle gaps in public knowledge on the origins of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups.
The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to support civic education initiatives aimed at strengthening resilience to foreign propaganda.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups.
The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to educate children on the safe use of social media.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As part of statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), pupils are taught about online safety and harms, including the implications of sharing private or personal data online, and the risks associated with over-reliance on social media.
The department published updated RSHE guidance in July 2025, including new content on artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and how social media can escalate conflicts. Pupils should be taught how to identify when social media is used as part of bullying, harassment and other forms of abusive and/or illegal behaviour, and how to recognise and manage peer influence on social media in relation to risk-taking behaviour and personal safety. The department’s guidance on teaching online safety covers how to teach about all aspects of internet safety.
In response to the recently published Curriculum and Assessment Review, we are committed to strengthening digital and media literacy in the updated national curriculum. Full details of the final report are accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-final-report.