At least 18 states have introduced some type of media literacy laws
(Image credit: Stock Photo via Getty Images)
Tech experts, lawmakers and other public officials have long been warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence — especially when it comes to doctored or fake news sources. As such, schools have begun a push toward media literacy in the classroom, a push that has now spilled into the halls of state houses and Congress.
Many of these lessons aim to teach kids how to identify disinformation and misinformation generated by AI. This is seen as particularly important by educators with the 2024 presidential election on the horizon, but this is not the only reason why media literacy is being pursued. Beyond politics, the “social media tools we use today can have harmful effects that can be life-changing, and deadly, for children,” according to the nonprofit group Media Literacy Now. This can include “cyberbullying, online radicalization through gaming and sextortion,” in addition to “physiological and neurological effects we are only beginning to understand.”
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