UNESCO Launches Media and Information Literacy Resources for Children and Parents in China

In celebration of Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2021 under this year’s theme “Media and Information Literacy for the Public Good”, UNESCO is proud to present its newly developed resources – picture books and animation videos on media and information literacy (MIL) themes tailored for children, parents, and teachers in China. The resources are developed under the partnership with Rex & Friends, with the support of local experts, to advance MIL knowledge and skills in China (https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-and-rex-friends-partner-pr...). 

Media and information literacy, or MIL for short, refers to competencies that empower us to access, evaluate, engage with, and contribute to all aspects of the current digital and non-digital media and information landscape. Today, we are living in a proliferation of information, with the younger generation standing at the forefront. It is thus imperative and urgent for young people to acquire MIL competencies, especially when online hate speech, misinformation and disinformation run rampant.  

The resources include ten picture books and ten video episodes developed based on UNESCO MIL resources as well as media and information literate responses to timely issues. The content covers issues ranging from social media do’s and don’ts, online safety and security, disinformation and misinformation, among others, with the aim to improve understandings and enhance competencies of MIL among children, parents, and teachers in China. All content are gender-sensitive, culturally responsive, and reflect new and emerging concerns. 

The picture books are freely available and openly accessible at UNESCO website:

https://en.unesco.org/fieldoffice/beijing/publications. 

The picture books are also accompanied by ten corresponding animated video episodes with elaborated descriptions and explanations, which are currently being released to the general public.

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UNESCO supports the development of MIL competencies among all people through capacity-building resources, including curricula development, policy guidelines and articulation, and assessment framework. Free and open online courses are available for self-paced learning about MIL. Through media and information technologies, UNESCO facilitates networking and research through the Global Alliance for Partnerships on MIL (GAPMIL) and MIL University Network. For more resources on MIL, please visit: https://en.unesco.org/themes/media-and-information-literacy.