Sec. 2. Findings

415 words·~2 min read·/bill/116/hr/4668/ih/section-2

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Congress finds the following: People in the United States rely on information from mass media, social media, and digital media to make decisions about all aspects of social, economic, and political life, including products and services consumption, employment, career and professional development, family and leisure choices, health and wellness, and democratic engagement. Ensuring that people in the United States possess the skills to make these informed decisions based on media begins early in life.

Adversaries from Russia, China, and Iran are using information warfare to influence democracies across the world, and terrorist organizations often use digital communications to recruit members. The United States can fight these influences by ensuring that citizens of the United States possess the necessary skills to discern disinformation and misinformation and think critically about their digital activities. Influence campaigns by foreign and domestic groups reached tens of millions of voters during the 2016 and 2018 elections with racially and divisively targeted messages.

The preservation of elections free of foreign influence is of utmost importance, and therefore Congress must take steps to counter influence campaigns with media literacy. Media literacy education is critical to allow young people to make informed decisions about products and services, education, health and wellness, and democratic decisions associated with public policy. Media literacy education must be inclusive and accessible for all students, including at-risk students and students with disabilities.

Media literacy empowers young people and gives them the agency to make informed decisions about their future, advertisements, the use of controlled substances, nutrition, and physical health. Equipping students with the skills to make informed decisions in these areas contributes to the betterment of mental health and public health. A successful and inclusive media literacy program must be directed at students beginning in kindergarten and should continue throughout the completion of postsecondary education.

Learning to critically analyze and create media is a lifelong process that can be developed by integrating media literacy competencies into academic curriculum across content areas and disciplines. Media literacy also allows young people to develop the critical thinking skills that will help them become informed voters. The right to vote is a fundamental right afforded to United States citizens by the Constitution. The unimpeded free exercise of this right is essential to the functioning of our democracy.

The process to protect our democracy begins with educating young people in the United States to ensure that the young people possess the skills to engage in civic activities, engage with communities, and eventually become informed voters.