Media Literacy Now is pleased that the SHAPE America’s New National Health Standards incorporate media literacy skills – including introducing the concept of digital wellness in Standard 7, adding reference to digital settings in Standard 2, and the focus on media literacy skills to access and evaluate online health information in Standard 3. 

“Media messages, such as via movies and advertising, have a long history of impacting young people’s health decisions, attitudes and behaviors.” said Erin McNeill, founder and CEO of Media Literacy Now. “Today, with the constant presence of social media, the need to decode those messages, discern information sources, and be aware of the shaping effects of messages as well as the physical and mental health effects of technology, is even more clear.    Media literacy is a survival skill for young people in the 21st Century.”

The new Standards acknowledge media literacy skills and the concept of digital wellness in new and important ways and guide health educators in providing media literacy education in their health classrooms. SHAPE will provide teachers with support and guidance for implementing the new Standards in a series of webinars, a book, and a summer training institute; MLN will continue to support SHAPE and health teachers at this stage to bolster media literacy instruction that meets the Standards. 

Media Literacy Now is looking to convene teachers, librarians, administrators, media literacy experts, and education organizations from a wide range of perspectives to represent the diverse needs of elementary, middle, and high school students for the purpose of gathering and vetting resources, instruction material and routines, and identifying important missing pieces pertinent to media literacy education in all subjects and at all grade levels. If you’re interested in participating or want to learn more, please fill out the survey.