Rethinking Media Literacy 2025

7.3 Policy recommendations A robust policy and regulatory approach are critical to embedding MIL into national strategies and ensuring it addresses the full disinformation life cycle. Policy-makers should: –Integrate MIL into broader digital resilience strategies: Position MIL as a core pillar of national digital resilience frameworks by embedding it into cybersecurity strategies, media regulation policies and digital governance structures. This integrated approach ensures that MIL is not treated in isolation, but as a cross-cutting tool for protecting democratic discourse, national security and social cohesion. Example: Develop MIL alongside cybersecurity preparedness and strategic communications, empowering citizens and institutions to identify and resist information threats as part of a whole-of-society approach to hybrid threats. –Ensure rights-respecting enforcement and oversight of digital regulation: In democratic societies where social media or digital platform regulation is already in place, governments should ensure the rights- respecting enforcement of these rules. This includes conducting regular assessments of the impact on freedom of expression and civic participation, alongside mechanisms for independent oversight and public learning. Example: The EU Digital Services Act requires VLOPs to conduct annual risk assessments of systemic harms, such as disinformation, with oversight by independent regulators and civil society participation. –Incentivize safety-by-design through innovation-oriented policy: Governments should create regulatory and financial incentives for technology developers to prioritize safety-by-design, particularly in emerging technologies such as GenAI. Example: Countries could provide tax breaks, R&D grants, public procurement preferences or inclusion in digital innovation hubs for companies that embed user safeguards and transparency mechanisms from the outset. –Mandate MIL in education systems: Ensure that digital literacy, critical thinking and MIL are woven throughout national curricula. Example: Estonia has embedded MIL into its national curriculum from primary through to secondary school as part of its digital nation strategy.62 –MIL in teacher certification: Make MIL competencies a requirement for educators across all subjects – not only media or IT. Example: Localize MIL teaching standards into national teacher accreditation systems. –Support lifelong-learning initiatives: Codify MIL into adult learning, vocational training and public communications campaigns. Example: The UK’s Share Checklist campaign encouraged users to check information regarding COVID-19 before sharing.63 Rethinking Media Literacy: A New Ecosystem Model for Information Integrity 37