46 Acknowledged

The UK Government has indicated it will take an all-of-society approach through various commitments outlined...

Conclusion
The UK Government has indicated it will take an all-of-society approach through various commitments outlined in the Strategic Defence Review, National Security Strategy and the Resilience Action Plan. Yet media literacy was notably absent. Whilst we welcome the Government’s media literacy action plan, it places no overt responsibilities on social media platforms to support efforts to improve media literacy and does not include actions to inform the public about foreign malign actors spreading disinformation. If this responsibility continues to sit with Ofcom, the Committee is concerned that it may lack the capacity to undertake this role. (Conclusion, Paragraph 199)
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that media literacy is crucial for resilience to FIMI and is evaluating its 'You Won’t Know Until You Ask’ campaign to adapt it for specific FIMI risks. It also acknowledges the critical role of social media platforms in promoting media literacy, stating that DSIT engages directly with them while Ofcom plays a coordinating role under the Online Safety Act.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government Acknowledged
Agree. The Government recognises that media literacy is an important part of building societal resilience to FIMI, where foreign influence is spread through mis- and disinformation. We know that while foreign interference differs in its source, it often takes the same recognisable forms of misleading or manipulative content. As a result, the core media literacy skills and behaviours, such as questioning the origin of information, assessing credibility, recognising emotional or identitybased manipulation, and verifying information before sharing, remain effective regardless of whether content is foreignbacked or domestically generated. DSIT’s ‘You Won’t Know Until You Ask’ campaign promotes these core media literacy skills and behaviours by advising parents to teach their children to pause, check facts, check who posted the content, and consider if the content is AI generated. This campaign is now being evaluated to assess its impact and to inform next steps. As part of this, we are considering options to extend or adapt the campaign, including whether this could address specific risks, such as FIMI, whilst remaining focused on the techniques of actors engaged in this activity, and not attribution of this. Given that FIMI is a global challenge, and the FCDO’s extensive overseas network, referenced in our response to recommendation 19, we recognise the value of both sharing best practice and learning from our allies, which of course includes our Baltic and Nordic partners. We agree that social media platforms have a critical role to play in promoting media literacy. DSIT engages directly with platforms on media literacy where appropriate, with Ofcom playing an important coordinating role under its Online Safety Act duties.
Addressee Bodies
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Timeline
Recommendation age 0.3 yrs
Report published 27 Mar 2026