Working with Parents to Develop Their Media Literacy Skills
How you can help families to confidently navigate the digital world
In an age where disinformation, online scams and deepfakes are increasingly sophisticated, having good media literacy skills is essential for families.
So how can we support parents to develop their media literacy skills and by doing so help them to guide their children through a complex digital world?
This article explores the benefits of media literacy in everyday life, with practical ways to help parents – and resources to get started.
What is media literacy?
Media Literacy has many working definitions, but the one Parent Zone uses is.
‘The ability to access, understand and critically evaluate different types of media and digital environments’
In more detail, digital media literacy includes the ability to:
- Understand how content is created and intended
- Recognise how and why data is collected and used
- Understand digital environments and the risks you may find
- Consider the potential consequences of your online actions
- Know how to participate in a positive way
Media literacy for parents
Media literacy becomes more meaningful and easier to understand - and engage parents about - when the benefits and opportunities are practical and relatable.
For example, good media literacy skills can help families:
- Spot and avoid online scams and false information
- Avoid sharing sensitive, inappropriate or harmful content online
- Agree good family tech boundaries – eg, around screen time or what app a child of a certain age might have access to
- Understand how content (eg, adverts) or influencers might affect or manipulate your choices
- Know how to protect their data and privacy
All of this is relevant to parents. And here’s the thing: we don’t need them to become tech experts to build good media literacy skills and support their family online.
Small, healthy everyday behaviours can build safer, more supportive, more media literate, digital households.
5 tips for talking to parents about media literacy
Media literacy can easily fit into everyday life – and eventually become healthy digital habits for a family. Here are some initial steps you could take to help parents.
1. Find familiar examples
Frame discussions through recognisable everyday things. For a parent, it may be streaming Netflix, a school parent group chat, scrolling in TikTok, or ordering on Amazon. For their child, it might be games, streamers, online learning – or apps or platforms they don’t know much about… yet.
2. Use clear, relatable language
Try to avoid jargon. Parents may not know “misinformation” but they have probably heard of ‘fake news’. Likewise, you might not want to explain how algorithms can shape how you experience content online, but maybe explain that “apps show you more videos like the ones you’ve watched”.
3. Support critical thinking
This is an essential skill for building media literacy – asking good questions around content, data and more. For example, encourage parents to ask themselves how content makes them feel — especially when it provokes strong emotions, like fear or anger. And then ask, “Why is this making me feel this way?” or “What does it want me to do or believe?”
4. Encourage curiosity
This can help families open up meaningful family conversations about digital life. For a parent, it can be as simple as asking their child to show them their favourite new game or app. Asking what they like about it, how it works, and what they do there. The more they understand, the easier it is to help.
5. Use essential tools
Encourage parents to get to grips with the tools at their disposal, from parental controls to data and privacy preserving tools. For example, to take a few minutes regularly to check privacy settings on social media – including who can see their posts or location.
This is just the start
We have many more resources for you to help build media literacy skills with parents – as well as resources and training for you.
Our Everyday Digital programme builds media literacy through simple everyday habits. Find articles and videos to share with parents. Click here
Find more of our programmes and resources supporting media literacy here
Training for professionals
You can learn more with an online course for family-facing professionals – explaining how to build media literacy with parents.
Find out more here.