Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help pupils develop the skills to identify online misinformation and disinformation.

Media literacy is currently covered across the citizenship, relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), English and computing curricula. Pupils are taught to think critically about information, distinguish fact from opinion, evaluate evidence and use technology safely, responsibly and critically.

The updated statutory RSHE guidance, mandatory since 1 September 2026, strengthens learning about the online world. In secondary education, this includes critical thinking in relation to emerging technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and AI chatbots, deepfakes, misinformation and disinformation.

The government is also taking forward Curriculum and Assessment Review recommendations to strengthen media and digital literacy in the refreshed curriculum. We expect to consult publicly on the revised programmes of study later this year.