News media literacy barriers deterring socially engaged school aged students
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New research findings from a survey published by Western Sydney University and Queensland University of Technology has identified how young people are consuming and thinking about news media events, including the recent summer bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
With only one in five young Australians (20%) in both primary and secondary schools admitting they attended lessons to critically engage in media literacy, researchers who carried out this survey have emphasised that barriers need to be eliminated and more resources provided for children and teenagers to initiate positive conversations while discussing the news effectively and discerning trustworthy sources, misinformation, disinformation, impartiality and objectivity with teachers in the classroom.