AOA 074: Meaningful Media Literacy Conversations with Erin McNeill

Host John Lanza and guest Erin McNeill discuss the importance of starting the media literacy conversation with children early, just like parents can do with the financial literacy conversation. Erin explains that kids are likely willing to understand and decode the myriad media messages they face. She even suggests that parents have conversations with teachers about integrating media literacy into classrooms and advocate for it to become a required skill taught in schools, just like reading and math. Erin and John also highlight the importance of digital wellness, the process of helping kids recognize targeted marketing, the connection between media literacy and financial literacy and the challenges and opportunities presented by AI. Erin McNeill is the CEO and Founder of Media Literacy Now. She established this nonprofit in 2013 to address the messages her children were receiving through cartoons and advertisements. Erin and Media Literacy Now are leading the grassroots movement to ensure all students learn the 21st-century media literacy skills they need for health, well-being, economic participation and citizenship.