Rethinking Media Literacy 2025

The ability to navigate and critically engage with information is a fundamental skill in today’s digital age. Media and information literacy (MIL) lies at the core of efforts to strengthen information integrity and foster a safer, more trustworthy online environment. However, the onus cannot be solely on individual information consumers to assess credibility, when the mechanisms and tools to enable deception at ever-greater speed, scale, sophistication and complexity are ubiquitous. In such an environment, responsibility must be shared by a whole range of stakeholders. This includes the structures that exist to incentivize certain behaviours over others. This report presents a new model for a comprehensive, whole-of-society approach to MIL. It aims to provide a framework for mapping the range of interventions needed and optimizing efforts to mitigate the proliferation and impact of disinformation while protecting free expression. It builds on the work of the Global Coalition for Digital Safety, particularly its focus on effective digital safety interventions, including education-based strategies. The Coalition’s work highlights the crucial role that multistakeholder approaches play in shaping healthier digital ecosystems. The aim of the Coalition is to help people develop the skills needed to better access, analyse, evaluate, create and responsibly consume media while at the same time encouraging interventions that disincentivize the production and viral distribution of disinformation. As seen in the Global Risks Report 2025 – the World Economic Forum’s annual survey of 900 experts worldwide on global threats – disinformation and misinformation were identified as the top risk over the next two years, reflecting mounting concerns about their impact on democracy, social cohesion and global stability. This report not only highlights the urgent need for enhanced MIL but also offers practical approaches to embed it across different sectors, age groups and regions. It reinforces the idea that digital safety is a process extending beyond the individual to communities, public institutions, multilateral bodies and the private sector. The development of online spaces is a shared societal endeavour that must start with education and empowerment. Moreover, the model presented in this report can serve as a valuable tool for understanding a wider range of challenges that affect the information environment beyond media literacy alone – including online harms, trust erosion and emerging threats driven by new technologies. It reflects the Global Coalition for Digital Safety’s ongoing commitment to developing scalable, collaborative solutions that not only address immediate risks but also build the foundations for a healthier, more resilient digital ecosystem in the future. Rethinking Media Literacy: A New Ecosystem Model for Information Integrity July 2025 Foreword Agustina Callegari Lead, Technology Governance, Safety and International Cooperation, World Economic ForumSasha Havlicek Chief Executive Officer, Institute for Strategic Dialogue Daniel Dobrygowski Head, Governance and Trust, World Economic Forum Rethinking Media Literacy: A New Ecosystem Model for Information Integrity 3