"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
New research from MediaSmarts shows educational videos encourage people to fact-check
April 30, 2025
Ottawa, ON - New research released from MediaSmarts shows that educational videos like the ones featuring the house hippo as part of the Break the Fake campaign encourage people to fact-check and avoid sharing false information.
Canada’s Teen Fact-Checking Network Renewed for 2025 After Successful First Year
December 12, 2024 – MediaSmarts is pleased to announce the renewal of Canada’s Teen Fact-Checking Network (TFCN) program for a second year, continuing its mission to promote digital media literacy and fact-checking among youth.
The house hippo returns to tackle AI this Media Literacy Week
October 21, 2024 – MediaSmarts has brought back the house hippo – this time to address the rise of AI-generated deepfakes and to encourage everyone to check the information they see online before they share it.
Poynter partners with MediaSmarts to launch the Teen Fact-Checking Network in Canada
March 11, 2024 - MediaWise, the Poynter Institute’s media literacy initiative, is partnering with MediaSmarts, a Canadian non-profit organization, to launch North America’s second
Media Literacy Week 2023 kicks off, bringing with it Digital Citizen Day
October 23, 2023 – With the rise of AI-generated deepfakes and an increase in online hate and harassment, people of all ages need to be equipped with the skills to navigate and contribute positively to our complex media landscape.
Coming this October: Digital Citizen Day and Media Literacy Week
September 20, 2023 – Our online environments present unique challenges: extremism, online hate and the spread of misinformation and AI-generated deepfakes, just to name a few. But studies have shown that it takes just 10 percent of the people in a community to set its values. Spreading positive content can have a real impact.
New research on youth and cyberbullying released for Pink Shirt Day
Ottawa, ON (Feb. 21, 2023) - New research conducted during the pandemic by MediaSmarts found 32% of young Canadians ages nine to 17 have experienced online meanness and cruelty, 49% have witnessed it, and 17% have engaged in this behaviour.
Data Privacy Week: New research shows youth are more concerned about their online privacy than ever
January 24, 2023 - MediaSmarts is releasing new research today, during Data Privacy Week, which shows that youth are more aware than ever of privacy concerns online and want to take steps to protect their own privacy, but they don’t always know how.
Almost half of Canadian youth say they see racist or sexist content online often
New research conducted during the pandemic by MediaSmarts found almost half of Canadian youth (47%) ages 12 to 17 see racist or sexist content online at least once a week.
These findings are shared in MediaSmarts’ new Encountering Harmful and Discomforting Content Online report, which is the second in a series of reports in the latest phase of Young Canadians in a Wireless World, a national survey of 1,058 youth ages 9 to 17 conducted in Autumn 2021.