Naughty or Nice: Video Games for Christmas

With Christmas approaching, video games are the one media industry that seems recession-proof, with games topping many wish lists. Parents, though, can find it difficult to tell just what they're buying for their children. They may know about Grand Theft Auto, for instance, but may wonder what kind of sins are in Sins of a Solar Empire. Of course, nobody wants to disappoint their children: if parents decide not to buy Gears of War, will little Johnny be happy with Rock Band instead? Fortunately, there are both tools and techniques at hand to help parents identify games they might find inappropriate and also to pick appropriate games their children will like.

Reporting Platforms and Changing the Vibe

Written by Dr. Samantha McAleese

Here at MediaSmarts, we’ve just wrapped up another research project called Reporting Platforms: Young Canadians Evaluate Efforts to Counter Disinformation. This project created space for youth from across Canada to examine and assess reporting processes on popular social media apps (like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube). We wanted to learn more about how young people feel about current efforts to counter misinformation and disinformation and what solutions they might have to address this particular online harm. To do this, we facilitated three focus groups with 36 participants ages 16 to 29, talked to them about how often they see misinformation and disinformation online and what they do about it, and asked them to comment on whether they trust platforms to keep them safe and informed while scrolling and sharing.  

Teen Fact-Checking Network

MediaSmarts Open Call for Teen Fact-Checkers Fall 2026

MediaSmarts, Canada’s centre for digital media literacy and a registered charity, is excited to announce that the bilingual Teen Fact-Checking Network (TFCN) program - Réseau vérif ado in Canada will be continuing into 2026/2027! This international program was started in 2018 by MediaWise, a nonpartisan, nonprofit initiative of the Poynter Institute in the U.S., and has since expanded to Brazil, Germany, India, Spain, and Bulgaria.

Outcome Chart - Nova Scotia - Health Education Grade 1

Overall Expectations:

• Learners will investigate habits that contribute to having a healthy mind and a healthy body.

Specific Expectations: Healthy Eating

• How do we know what foods are the healthiest for our brain and body?

Outcome Chart - Nova Scotia - Information and Communication Technology Integration 7-9

Outcome Chart - Nova Scotia - Information and Communication Technology Integration 7-9

Outcome Chart - Nova Scotia - Social Studies Grade 8

Outcome Chart - Nova Scotia - Social Studies Grade 8

Outcome Chart - Ontario - English 11 Media Studies

This outcome chart contains media education learning outcomes from the Ontario, Curriculum for English, Grade 11 Media Studies, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.

Outcome Chart - Ontario - English 11 University Preparation

This outcome chart contains media education learning outcomes from the Ontario, Curriculum for English, Grade 11, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.

Outcome Chart - Ontario - English 12 College Preparation

This outcome chart contains media education learning outcomes from the Ontario, Curriculum for English, Grade 12, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.