Finland teaches media literacy to preschoolers to combat Russian disinformation

Don’t miss the full story, whose reporting from James Brooks at The Associated Press is the basis of this AI-assisted article.

Finland has implemented a comprehensive anti-disinformation program that teaches media literacy and artificial intelligence literacy to citizens starting from preschool age to build resistance against propaganda and false claims, particularly from neighboring Russia.

Some key facts:

• Finland has integrated media literacy into its national curriculum for students as young as 3 years old for decades.

• The program aims to make Finns resistant to propaganda and disinformation, especially from neighboring Russia across the 1,340-kilometer border.

• Teachers are now adding AI literacy to the curriculum following Russia’s increased disinformation campaigns after its invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago.

• Finland’s ascension into NATO in 2023 provoked Moscow’s ire and increased focus on counter-disinformation efforts.

• At Tapanila Primary School in Helsinki, fourth graders learn to identify fake news and AI-generated pictures and videos.

• Finnish media participate through annual “Newspaper Week” and distribute materials like the “ABC Book of Media Literacy” to every 15-year-old.

• Finland’s 5.6 million people regularly rank at the top of the European Media Literacy Index, compiled between 2017 and 2023.

• Experts warn that as AI technology advances, it will become increasingly difficult to distinguish real content from fake.

READ MORE: Finland’s battle against fake news starts in preschool classrooms