An analysis by @fullfact.org has shown that AI chatbots based on LLMs made dozens of major errors when asked about false claims circulating online. Conclusion: LLMs cannot be relied upon as a foolproof way to fact check claims, especially in breaking news situations. fullfact.org/technology/f...

Full Fact analysis shows AI chatbots spouting misinformation about AI-generated images, wars and royal fall outs – Full Fact

Multiple models gave us misinformation when we asked about fake content and false claims circulating online, both before and after we wrote about them.

fullfact.org

Another wake-up call from @demos-uk.bsky.social - the latest instalment of their Epistemic Security initiative. The threats to liberal democracy in the UK and beyond are greater than ever, and more than ever dependent on the resilience of the information supply chain. demos.co.uk/research/epi...

Epistemic Security: Information resilience priorities for 2026-2029

Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.

demos.co.uk

@literacytrust.org.uk has published its latest report on young people's, parents' and teachers' use of generative AI, with much to be learnt from the research. Some conclusions are encouraging, but others are more worrying and a serious cause for concern. literacytrust.org.uk/research-ser...

Young people, teachers' and parents' use of AI to support literacy in 2026 | National Literacy Trust

In 2026, we combined surveys, focus groups and interviews to explore changing use of, and attitudes to, generative AI among young people, teachers and parents.

literacytrust.org.uk

Arts Council England has just published its report on 'The Role of the Public Library in Combatting Mis/Disinformation'. This proposes a plan of action to address how public libraries in England are currently not well-equipped to address mis/disinformation. www.artscouncil.org.uk/research-and...

The Role of the Public Library in Combating Misinformation and Disinformation: A Review and Action Plan

We commissioned a study of the role of public libraries in England in addressing mis/disinformation in UK society.

artscouncil.org.uk

Useful conversation today between MILA and Workers Educational Association, particularly on how the threat of disinformation may be better tackled through increased investment in adult learning. MILA certainly looks forward to developing our relationship with WEA. www.wea.org.uk/labs/disinfo...

To mark the UN’s International Day for Countering Hate Speech, UNESCO has issued a useful brief which includes recommendations e.g. on developing cross-sectoral cooperation structures, designing MIL education progs & fostering critical thinking in use of AI. unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/p...

International Day for Countering Hate Speech | United Nations

The United Nations recognizes the need to counter discrimination, xenophobia and hate speech. Hate speech incites violence and undermines social cohesion and tolerance. Therefore, 18 June was declared...

un.org

MILA and the Deep Truth Project were pleased to host a successful webinar on 27 April, on ‘Deepfakes and AI-generated media: what everyone needs to know’. The slides from the presentation are available below. mila.org.uk/deepfakes/

✅ Deepfakes and AI-generated media: what you need to know ✅

Discover the essentials of deepfakes in a webinar hosted by MILA and the Deep Truth Project. Learn about threats and media literacy solutions.

mila.org.uk

With the recent UK local elections in mind, @electoralcommission.org.uk has launched a pilot to detect political deepfakes and counter the threat of AI misinformation. The pilot runs until June and monitors online content for deepfake audio and video. www.electoralcommission.org.uk/media-centre...

Electoral Commission launches deepfake detection pilot to counter AI misinformation

The Electoral Commission has launched an innovative pilot to detect political deepfakes and counter the growing threat of AI misinformation.

electoralcommission.org.uk

On why social media is no longer social but parasocial, by danah boyd. Very interesting read. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Social Media Is Now Parasocial Media - danah boyd, 2026

When practitioners used the term “social media” to describe the internet tools that emerged in the mid-aughts, they were giving a name to the kinds of platforms...

journals.sagepub.com

Reflections on the UK govt's consultation on 'Growing up in an online world'. MILA doesn't have a particular stance on this, but we would encourage anyone with an interest to respond to the consultation by the 26 May deadline. mila.org.uk/growing-up-o...

✅Growing up in an online world 2026 - MILA ✅

Contribute views to the UK government's consultation on young people's online safety, including possible social media restrictions and media literacy measures.

mila.org.uk

So the govt has decided that it will introduce “age or functionality restrictions” on social media for under-16s. Not a big surprise, but what's the point of running a public consultation that includes questions on restrictions if decision has already been taken? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Ministers open-minded on shape of UK social media limits, Phillipson says

Education secretary says children will face restrictions and government will consider range of views on their form

theguardian.com

What do young people in the UK think of lowering the voting age to 16? A survey by The Economist Educational Foundation shows that teens are curious about politics and want to know more but lack the opportunities and confidence to engage and share their views. economistfoundation.org/impact/vote-...

New report from European Commission on the evolving impact of digital technologies on European democracy. Critical insights into fracturing of perceived realities, rise of the 'fantasy-industrial complex' & systemic risks posed by the attention economy. publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/h...

MILA and the Deep Truth Project are pleased to host a webinar on 'Deepfakes and AI-generated media: what everyone needs to know'. Mon 27 April, 12:30. All welcome, registration link below. Introduced by Ashmita Rajmohan, founder of the Deep Truth Project www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1985914701...

The UK government has published its long awaited Media Literacy Action Plan, setting out its vision for improving media literacy over 2026-2026. This includes steps for supporting cross-sector collaboration, an area of obvious interest to us at MILA. www.gov.uk/government/p...

A Safe, Informed Digital Nation

gov.uk

With the impending lowering of the voting age in the UK, a new study by @shoutoutuk.bsky.social finds that 61% of 14- & 15-year-olds intend to vote as soon as the franchise is lowered, but that many also feel 'locked out' by lack of political literacy education www.shoutoutuk.org/2026/03/02/n...

New Study Reveals 15-Year-Olds are Ready to Vote but Feel "Locked Out" by Lack of Political Literacy Education - Shout Out UK

A new interim report reveals that while British children are eager to participate in democracy, they are being failed by a lack of education.

shoutoutuk.org

The UK government has today finally launched its national consultation on 'Growing up in an online world', with a response deadline on 29 May. This includes the controversial question on whether to ban social media for young people, but also covers other issues. www.gov.uk/government/c...

Growing up in the online world: a national consultation

We are consulting on further measures to prepare children for the future in an age of rapid technological change. This includes potential age restrictions on social media and other services such as ga...

gov.uk

Electoral Commission's 'Welcome to Your Vote Week 2026' is on 9-15 March. The theme is 'Why Voting Matters’, of interest to schools, colleges, universities & youth groups. Includes an online event to explore the findings of this year's youth research www.electoralcommission.org.uk/resources/re...

Welcome to Your Vote Week

School and youth groups across the UK join us every year to celebrate democracy. Throughout Welcome to Your Vote Week, they deliver democratic education with their students and young people.

electoralcommission.org.uk

This sort of thing could happen here in the UK if ever we end up with a government that actively pursues an anti-science, anti-evidence agenda. Truly shocking, but sadly not surprising.

Stephan Lewandowsky@lewan.uk · 7mo ago

Ever wondered how your grant got cancelled? No we know. Some college dropout asked ChatGPT "is it DEI/woke"? www.techdirt.com/202...

New report by @internetmatters.bsky.social & @fullfact.org on how young people encounter political information online & about their confidence navigating what they see. Important in light of UK government's proposal to extend the vote to 16- & 17-year olds www.internetmatters.org/hub/research...

Preparing young people to vote in a complex, attention-driven environment

Preparing young people for lower voting age | Internet Matters. In this brief, we examine young voters' digital literacy & trust in politics.

internetmatters.org

MILA & Demos' Epistemic Security Network invite anyone interested in media literacy to a free online meeting to explore how the renewal of the BBC Charter might impact on ML - Monday 23 February, 16:30-17:45. Further details + Eventbrite registration link below. www.eventbrite.com/e/1983039409...

@oecd-ocde.bsky.social has just published an initial draft of the PISA 2029 Media and Artificial Intelligence Literacy Assessment Framework. Very timely in England in light of Curriculum and Assessment Review. Important recognition of how MAIL relates to ALL subjects www.oecd.org/content/dam/...

You are invited to the launch of David Buckingham’s new book, 'The End of Information: media, knowledge and education in a post-truth age', at the UCL Knowledge Lab in London, on 11 March at 5:00pm. For further details and to book your place, see below. www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/events/2...

The end of information – media, knowledge, and education in a post-truth age

Join this event to hear Professor David Buckingham discuss his most recent book, The End of Information.

ucl.ac.uk

Do conspiracy theorists deploy information literacy skills? Daria Cybulska (Wikimedia UK) argues that this might be so, with emotions playing a large part in their approach to IL. Complexity resilience provides one means of addressing this quandary imperfectcognitions.blogspot.com/2026/01/info...

Information Literacy Skills of Conspiracy Theorists? Call for Reflection

A blog about imperfect cognitions, such as delusional beliefs, distorted memories, confabulatory explanations, and implicit biases.

imperfectcognitions.blogspot.com

The UK govt has launched a 'national conversation' on banning social media for under-16s. Here, @sonialivingstone.bsky.social argues that a ban may not be the easy solution that people imagine and what's most important is to act in the best interests of children. blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

The UK shouldn’t rush to a social media ban for children under 16 | LSE British Politics

Australia's ban of social media for under 16s has re-ignited the same debate in the UK. Sonia Livingstone argues that more evidence is needed before such a ban.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

Yesterday, MILA held a successful convening event with 50+ participants from a wide range of organisations to examine the state of play with MIL in the UK & chart possible collaborative activities to make the case for MIL over the coming year. We'll post the full outcomes of the event shortly.

Making the case for information literacy at the RSA - Royal Society of Arts yesterday. With many thanks to @evapascoe.bsky.social for having organised such an interesting event.

Insightful article from @deevybee.bsky.social on fraudulent trends that undermine the integrity of scholarly publishing. 'Publish or perish' is fuelling very dubious practices at the heart of the scientific research endeavour. Of obvious relevance to information literacy fullfact.org/technology/p...

Paper Mills: a new threat to scientific publishing – Full Fact

There's a new problem for publication in research: scientific fraud.

fullfact.org

With Australia's under-16 social media ban now in force, @internetmatters.bsky.social reflect about what this might mean for the UK, drawing from surveys showing that 62% of UK parents support a ban, but also suggesting that bans are not a silver bullet. www.internetmatters.org/hub/research...

Australia’s social media ban and why the UK might be next

Australia’s social media ban and why the UK might be next | Internet Matters. In UK, 62% of parents support ban on social media for under 16s.

internetmatters.org

Great to see media literacy in the new school curriculum for England, but it needs investment to work & an understanding that ML is relevant to ALL subjects. Today, a joint statement, signed by 35+ organisations and experts, calls for dedicated training & resources. www.mila.org.uk/mil-car-statement

Media and information literacy: a joint statement following the Curriculum and Assessment Review - Media and Information Literacy Alliance

Curriculum reforms will falter without media literacy funding for schools, say 35+ experts close to the issue Over 35 organisations and experts warn that planned media literacy reforms will fail witho...

mila.org.uk