Putting Media Literacy on the Public Policy Agenda

Many bills that have been passed or are pending around the country are the product of direct efforts of state-level Media Literacy Now advocates. Some are the result of years of policymaker education, and others have resulted from lawmakers who care about media literacy education who seek out our expertise.

Ideally, all school districts would incorporate media literacy as a standard method of teaching into all subjects at all grade levels. However, as we collectively advocate for this ideal, we support and celebrate progress in all forms — there are a number of potential policy approaches that will help us arrive at this ideal.

This map shows which states have taken steps toward media literacy education reform through the legislative process only. We have not evaluated how state departments of education have integrated media literacy into standards or otherwise implemented the laws we reviewed. Last updated May 2024.

Media Literacy Policy Report 2023

Each year, Media Literacy Now publishes the Media Literacy Policy Report outlining the status of media literacy education laws for K-12 schools in the U.S.. The 2023 report was released in February 2024 and shows the significant progress of state-level policymakers as well as other organizations and key institutions and individuals to recognize an urgent need for media literacy education and to take action.