Looking back on Media Smart’s 2024, I’m incredibly proud of the strides we’ve continued to make, empowering young people to navigate media and advertising with confidence and critical thinking skills.
Here’s a brief summary of what we’ve achieved over the last 12 months and a reminder of the resources you can share with your schools, networks and organisations.
Highlights from 2024:
Scam Awareness: Our ‘Scam Flags Add Up to a Scam’ campaign, co-branded with the Government’s STOP! THINK FRAUD initiative reached an impressive 183 million people. Targeting 13–25-year-olds, it provided vital tools for recognising and avoiding online scams.
Advancing Political Literacy: In just eight days, we launched a multi-media campaign educating young voters about political advertising, achieving 16.5 million views online. This initiative empowered young people to approach elections with confidence.
Inspiring Creative Careers: Through our Careers Workshops and online resources, we reached 13,800 students. With the support of Omnicom Media Group, 55 volunteers were trained to deliver live sessions in schools.
Making Airwaves: We launched our first-ever podcast, ‘Staying Safe Online,’ in partnership with the Industry Trust. This initiative, tied to Safer Internet Day, featured key industry voices, including Lord Ed Vaizey.
Growing Partnerships: We welcomed Netflix, Mail Metro Media, Yahoo, Next-Gen Media, and Into Film to our supporter network, bringing our total to 40 partners – double the number we had a decade ago.
Looking Ahead
Media Smart is committed to nurturing even more young critical thinkers in 2025. Our efforts to support parents, carers, educators, and policymakers will continue as we deliver even more impactful campaigns and resources.
Thank you for helping us create a media-literate future.
Warm wishes
Rachel Barber-Mack
Executive Director, Media Smart
