"Wait... What?” Media Literacy Week highlights growing concern over AI-driven misinformation
Nationwide campaign launches October 27-31 to teach critical thinking skills for navigating rapidly changing online content
October 27, 2025 - Deepfakes and other AI-generated misinformation are becoming impossible to avoid online—according to a recent report, two-thirds of Canadians were exposed to this kind of content multiple times in the past year.
MediaSmarts is addressing emerging online challenges with their 20th annual Media Literacy Week, running from October 27 to 31, 2025. The week aims to enhance Canadians’ digital media literacy skills through free resources and events across the country. Teachers, students, seniors’ centres, libraries, museums and community groups are encouraged to participate in these activities, supporting the week’s goal of fostering informed and engaged digital citizens.
The organization is marking the week’s 20th anniversary edition by launching a new campaign, “Wait… What?” which highlights the importance of asking critical questions about online content generated by AI. The campaign comes at a time when more Canadians are exposed to and concerned about generative AI tools than ever. New research found that 1 in 3 Canadians used generative AI in the past year, more than doubling since 2024, and 74 percent are concerned about misinformation created by these tools.
“From the inception of social media to viral hoaxes powered by rapidly advancing AI tools, online content has changed dramatically since we began Media Literacy Week 20 years ago,” says Kathryn Ann Hill, MediaSmarts’ Executive Director. “This year, our goal is to help empower Canadians of all ages to verify content, look for biases and think before they share information. Asking ourselves, ‘Wait… What?’ and using the digital media literacy skills promoted during Media Literacy Week is essential to knowing what is fact and what we can believe.”
MediaSmarts is eager to build on the success of last year’s Media Literacy Week, which saw over 88.5 million online impressions and 175 collaborating organizations. The week also includes the fourth annual Digital Citizen Day on October 29. The day encourages people to use online platforms in a respectful and responsible way to help create understanding and promote positive conversations.
“Educating our children and ourselves about media has never been more important,” says the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages. “Today, we face growing challenges around artificially generated text, video and audio, as well as the ongoing prevalence of misinformation and disinformation. Building the skills to critically assess the media and information we encounter is essential to safeguarding the very foundations of our society and ensuring the next generation of Canadians is equipped to navigate the online world safely. I invite everyone to explore MediaSmarts activities and to reflect critically on the information they consume and the digital media they access every day.”
Those interested can visit www.mediasmarts.ca to view a comprehensive event list, explore new resources such as an updated workshop focused on AI or share related content on social media using #MediaLiteracyWeek or #DigitalCitizenDay.
MediaSmarts is Canada's bilingual centre for digital media literacy. For nearly 30 years, the charitable organization has advanced digital media literacy in Canadian schools, homes and communities. MediaSmarts is also home to the Canadian icon, the house hippo. Visit www.mediasmarts.ca to learn more.
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Contact
Tricia Grant
Director of Marketing and Communications
MediaSmarts
613-224-7721 ext. 231
tgrant@mediasmarts.ca
Media Literacy Week is run with the patronage of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO) and is sponsored by Bell, Google, Meta, TELUS Wise, TikTok Canada, and YouTube
With support from the Alberta Teachers' Association, l’Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens, the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association, the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association, the Nova Scotia Teachers Union and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association.