The resolution

The EU Parliament is pushing for digital literacy to protect citizens and democracy

The resolution that has been adopted emphasises the need for targeted training for users of all ages and for the implementation of tools to help identify manipulated content

by Camilla Curcio

8 July 2026

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3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Platform design and handling
Child protection and rules for influencers
The painting

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Digital literacy that is structured and targeted to protect citizens and democracy. This is the aim of the resolution adopted today by the European Parliament with 447 votes in favour, 128 against and 78 abstentions.

In the document, MEPs reiterated that media literacy and digital learning are now essential skills for young people and adults. These are essential skills that must be promoted at every stage of the educational journey, from school to university, and consistently developed in the workplace as well. This forms part of a lifelong learning (and professional development) process that involves the whole of society.

Understanding the digital world and being aware of the risks arising from the reckless use of platforms and devices is essential to ensuring that users can use technology safely, helping them to recognise disinformation, manipulation, foreign interference in information, cyberbullying and all the various forms and manifestations of online violence.

“Democracies cannot leave citizens to face disinformation, addictive design and the commercial interests of platforms on their own,” commented the rapporteur Marcos Ros Sempere. “Media literacy and digital literacy must become basic skills for everyone, at all ages. Europe must provide people with the tools to understand the digital environment and explore it safely, and establish clear rules for platforms, influencers and AI-generated content in public life and in school and university education.”

Platform design and handling

In this context, the European Parliament has emphasised the need for cooperation between the public and private sectors to promote digital literacy through a strategy applicable to all Member States. An action plan which, in schools and higher education, can ensure the use of tools free from inappropriate commercial influences. Involving users of all ages and helping them to clearly understand how the way platforms are designed can influence access to information, and to recognise the content that creates addiction and manipulate emotions.

But that’s not all: developing bespoke training programmes could help young people and adults to distinguish between editorial, commercial and summary content, to identify persuasive techniques designed to lure the public – often – with clickbait and fake news, and to unmask the content generated using artificial intelligence.

Child protection and rules for influencers

As part of the review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), MEPs then called for the implementation of measures to protect minors who use video-sharing platforms. They also highlighted the need to take action regarding influencers – given their ‘significant role in shaping information consumption habits, particularly amongst young people’ – with specific regulations on multimedia content, codes of conduct and clear guidelines.

The painting

The European Parliament’s resolution forms part of a broader context in which, particularly in recent times, there has been a succession of – often stringent – measures on the issue of promoting responsible use of technology and social media. This is particularly relevant for younger age groups, who tend to be more vulnerable.

Looking at the figures, according to the European Commission, 97 per cent of young people use the internet every day, and social media is now becoming the main source of information for young people aged between 15 and 24. To date, there is no single, unified approach to digital education across Europe: each country has drawn up its own independent checklist regarding school curricula, financial support and the relevant authorities or bodies involved; the formulation of education policies remains, in fact, a strictly national matter.