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Digital Education and Media Literacy in Schools, the latest report from the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA), was launched this afternoon at the House of Lords. Supported by Currys, the event brought partners and policymakers together to examine how young people across the UK are navigating a digital environment that is expanding in speed, scale, and complexity.

The report draws on the experiences of families involved in the DPA’s delivery programmes, alongside insight from educators, youth advocates, and researchers. Across these perspectives, a consistent picture emerges. Young people are encountering information shaped by algorithms and AI long before formal teaching equips them to interpret it. Only 23 per cent of parents reported that their child had received any media-literacy education in school, even as 63 per cent identified understanding online harms as the most effective way to support children’s safety.

These gaps are most visible in AI literacy. While many respondents recognised AI as a familiar term, most did not understand how large language models operate or how to distinguish synthetic content from verified information. Without that grounding, young people are moving through digital spaces without a clear sense of what shapes what they see or share. Reflecting on these findings, Elizabeth Anderson, CEO, Digital Poverty Alliance, noted: “Media literacy now underpins every aspect of digital inclusion. Young people are making sense of information shaped by algorithms and AI every day, often without the tools to understand who is influencing what they see. Ensuring they have the right teaching and the right technology is no longer an enhancement to their education; it is a requirement for their safety, confidence, and future participation.”

The evidence also highlights a structural tension in schools. Smartphone bans, now widespread following Department for Education guidance, are rarely paired with access to laptops – despite strong evidence that laptops support focused learning, reduce exposure to algorithmically curated distractions, and provide the structure needed to develop essential digital skills. For schools working within constrained budgets, and for families without appropriate devices at home, the absence of alternatives risks deepening existing inequalities rather than reducing them.

Across today’s discussion, these strands came together in a single conclusion. Media literacy is not an adjacent consideration but a core component of digital inclusion. Young people need reliable devices; teaching that reflects the digital realities they encounter; and adults who understand the pressures shaping their online lives. When any of these elements are missing, the gaps in access, confidence, and capability widen in ways that shape their learning far beyond the classroom.

Digital Education and Media Literacy in Schools sets out a practical direction for addressing these challenges. It calls for coordinated leadership across government, industry, education, and civil society; strengthened training for teachers; clearer communication with parents; and greater transparency from the platforms whose systems influence young people’s online experiences. At its centre is a straightforward message: digital inclusion must reflect the world young people actually inhabit.

Read the full report here