I graduated three years ago, but I had begun developing my skills in the media field myself while still in high school. For the first three years after graduating, I worked as an intern and freelancer, with my articles published on various Estonian news portals. From 2022 to 2024, I worked as a news reporter for Kanal 7. I am currently studying in the Master's program in Contemporary Media (TV Department) at the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School. The decision to continue my studies after completing my bachelor's degree was not spontaneous. During my time working in TV, I realized that, in addition to practical skills, academic theoretical knowledge is essential for qualitative development in this field, which I felt I lacked.
This fall, I started teaching media literacy as an elective subject to 8th graders at a school in Tallinn. The interest among teenagers has been very high: it became the most popular elective, even surpassing Leadership, Creative Thinking, and Creating a Personal Brand in terms of registration numbers.
Researching fakes and building standards
I began my presentation of my elective subject at school with the words, “My example and experience can be very useful for you.” After all, I found my passion for journalism through a similar elective subject at school and used the same opportunity available to today's teenagers.
My first lesson was devoted to watching news stories created by my colleagues and me, and the students were very interested. They immediately asked questions about the backstage life of TV, how to become a TV reporter, and so on. There were even discussions about planning a tour to a newsroom, as the students were curious what the TV studio looks like and where I study. I will definitely include these activities in our curriculum.
During the first meeting, the students quickly became engaged in the process and actively participated in the discussion. We covered topics such as types of media, how to recognize fake news, and how to avoid falling for misinformation. They answered all my additional questions on the material correctly, which was a pleasant surprise.
Many of the students admitted that they had never read news portals before and had never thought about the reliability of the information they consumed online. They were accustomed to learning about current events through social media, including TikTok and Instagram. This response showed how important media literacy is for students and how little attention they usually pay to fact-checking in everyday life. It also revealed that today's teens use the internet and social media more for entertainment than for finding important information.
Is it really easier to ban than to teach?
The public and political discussion about restricting the use of smartphones by children in primary schools (from 1st to 9th grade) is gaining momentum in Estonia. There are different opinions on this issue, but thanks to the active efforts of a group of teachers and psychologists, the problem has already been discussed at the level of the Ministry of Education and the government.
Gadgets and the Internet are an integral part of modern children's lives. It is important to teach teenagers to take a conscious approach to the use of technology: to verify the reliability of information, critically evaluate content, and use gadgets for self-development. Restrictions may be necessary as part of classroom rules. In some Estonian schools, internal regulations already regulate the use of smartphones during lessons for extracurricular purposes.
But it is not bans, but media literacy education that will equip teenagers with the tools to manage their own information space, which will significantly impact their lives beyond school.
Towards media literacy through practice
In my current work at the school, in addition to my media experience, understanding which methods and formats can make lessons engaging for teenagers is crucial. During class discussions, we concluded that many students lack interactive assignments, real-life examples, and the opportunity to discuss current issues they face daily, or the popular TikTok and YouTube videos that are constantly in the information landscape of 14-year-olds.
My lessons balance theory and practice. We analyze news and learn to distinguish between reliable and unreliable information. For the first homework assignment, the students were tasked with finding fake news on Estonian news portals. I believe that this process can be the first step in sparking an interest in news media and understanding the information landscape in which they live. Besides analyzing existing media content, we will also learn how to create our own quality journalistic materials. This will help the students become not only conscious consumers of information but also responsible content creators.
My goal is for students to learn to think critically, analyze, and verify information in this subject, which will better prepare them for life in a digital society. I am glad that media literacy skills, which are so essential in today's world, can be developed starting from school.
Author: Anna-Marija Ouertani, NPO Tuleviku Meedia
Background illustration: Valerii Honcharuk
Train your media literacy skills! Take our free, self-paced course Think Twice: Media Literacy Online:
