A study on how technology, including AI-driven content like deepfakes, impacts critical media literacy education, highlighting current challenges and opportunities in curriculum and teacher training.

In plain terms

This research looks at how modern technology, especially things like fake news and deepfakes (content often created or spread by artificial intelligence), affects education, specifically in teaching people to be critically aware of media. The researchers wanted to understand what students and experts think about these challenges and how well current education prepares students to critically evaluate information. They did this by interviewing leading experts in critical media literacy and surveying 141 university students. The study found that while new technologies offer ways to improve learning, they are not deeply integrated into school curricula. Furthermore, teachers often lack the necessary training to effectively use these tools to help students develop critical thinking skills. The authors conclude that we need a stronger focus on critical media literacy that teaches students not just how to use technology, but also how to question and ethically evaluate the information they encounter, fostering active and thoughtful citizenship.