Option A: emphasis on protection and mental health

Ministry of Education and Early Childhood Development

Hon. Claire Johnson, Minister

Ryan Donaghy, Deputy Minister

Subject: Digital Media Literacy in our schools

Dear Honourable Minister and Deputy Minister: 

I am asking our province to make digital media literacy a mandatory part of our K – 12 school curriculum. Media literacy education should be mandatory, not optional, as it is now. Our school system needs to do more if we are to protect young Canadians. We must protect our children’s mental health, give them the tools and critical thinking skills to help them resist online manipulation, bullying, recruitment by extremist groups, and much more.

The Scandinavian countries have done so for decades. Their schools have comprehensive media literacy education programs designed to protect children’s mental health and develop the critical thinking skills they will need as responsible adults.

If we want our children to be equipped to deal with the increasing complexities and dangers of the digital world, the only responsible choice is to make media literacy education mandatory in our schools.

Sincerely,

[  your name, postal code]

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Option B: Emphasis on difficulties controlling sources of disinformation 

Ministry of Education and Early Childhood Development

Hon. Claire Johnson, Minister

Ryan Donaghy, Deputy Minister

Subject: Digital Media Literacy learning is essential

Dear Honourable Minister and Deputy Minister: 

I am extremely concerned about the influence of online disinformation on Canadian children and young adults. It’s time for our province and our country to make digital media literacy courses mandatory for K – 12. Countries such as Finland, Sweden, and Norway did this long ago; they’re not counting on tech companies to do the right thing and it’s nearly impossible to enforce a ban on social media.

Although our schools teach elements of digital media literacy, these courses are not mandatory and they should be. Disinformation floods our lives, delivered through social networks and Internet channels. It gets worse every day with trolls, bots, and AI-generated disinformation manipulating our children’s thoughts and emotions.

We can’t control the sources of disinformation, but we can give children the skills to discern and resist harmful messages. We can try to make sure the messages don’t land.

Sincerely,

[  your name, postal code]

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Option C: Emphasis on success in adult life

Ministry of Education and Early Childhood Development

Hon. Claire Johnson, Minister

Ryan Donaghy, Deputy Minister

Subject: Digital Media Literacy needs to be a required part of the core curriculum

Dear Honourable Minister and Deputy Minister: 

If you believe that our education system has a responsibility to prepare our children for the adult world, then our schools need to make sure they have the digital media literacy skills to navigate that world. In the Scandinavian countries, media literacy courses are a required part of the K – 12 curriculum. Yet in our schools they are optional even as the pace of social and technological change accelerates.

Our schools need to incorporate digital media literacy education as a required and core competency within the school curriculum. This applies not only to students but also teachers, who need support such as continuous professional development and regular updates to teaching tools and resources.

The result will be future generations of adult Canadians who are resilient and knowledgeable, able to discern disinformation, able to apply critical thinking to civic engagement.

Sincerely,

[  your name, postal code]

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