South Australia is preparing to become the first state in the nation to roll out a dedicated media literacy program across every primary school, with a new State Budget commitment designed to help children spot misinformation, disinformation and online scams before they fall for them.
The State Government has committed $2.6 million over four years to expand the Newshounds program to all public, Catholic and independent primary schools across the state, reaching students from Years 3 to 6 from Term 4 this year.
Young people are increasingly exposed to content through social media, online videos, AI-generated material and digital news sources. The program aims to teach students one simple but powerful habit, stop, think and check.
The initiative will make South Australia the first state in Australia to offer a media literacy program of this scale across every primary school, building on the state’s recent moves to improve online safety for children, including support for a national social media ban for under-16s and the introduction of mobile phone bans in classrooms.
Designed by Squiz Media with support from the Google News Initiative, Newshounds was first launched in late 2023 and is already being used in more than 5,000 classrooms around Australia, including 180 schools across South Australia.
The curriculum-aligned program includes nine classroom sessions featuring podcasts, interactive activities, student workbooks and teacher resources. Students learn how to identify trustworthy sources, recognise bias, understand misinformation and disinformation, and critically evaluate content they encounter online.
The program also addresses the growing influence of artificial intelligence and deepfake technology, helping children understand how digital content can be manipulated and why critical thinking has become an essential skill.
Premier Peter Malinauskas shared, “With misinformation rife on the internet, we now live in an age where media literacy is an essential life skill.
“It has become just as important to teach children how to spot dangerous disinformation online as it is to teach them to read and write.
“That’s why we are funding this media literacy program to roll out in all our primary schools.”
Minister for Education, Training and Skills Lucy Hood said, “Teaching our youngest learners to spot misinformation they increasingly face online is an important measure to help them navigate the fast-evolving digital world.
“More information than ever is coming at our students from sources that require a critical lens, highlighting the power of media literacy to separate fact from fiction.
“Our Government is proud to open up this program to every primary school student in the state, and we will continue to look at innovative ways to support children to combat dodgy disinformation.”
For schools already using the program, the benefits are clear.
Prospect Primary School Principal Rebecca Pears said, “Here at Prospect Primary School, our students have been involved with the Newshounds program since it first started.
“This program helps students develop the crucial skills needed to become critical consumers of media, including media literacy skills such as identifying reliable information, recognising bias, and evaluating media sources.
“We have found it has also strengthened their digital citizenship, enabling students to safely navigate misinformation and make informed decisions in their daily lives.”
The expansion means all 434 South Australian primary schools will have access to the program, giving thousands of students the tools to question what they see online, think critically about information and make informed decisions in an increasingly complex digital world.
As misinformation continues to evolve, South Australia is betting that one of the best defences starts in the classroom.
