Good news: they can. In fact, a study I conducted with Ben Bowyer found that the impact was quite large (see:\u00a0Can Media Literacy Increase Digital Engagement in Politics<\/a>). We surveyed a nationally representative group of several hundred youth over two years. In addition to asking about the various ways they were involved politically, we also asked how often, both in and out of school, they had digital-engagement learning opportunities where they learned how to effectively create and share media related to societal issues. Youth who were exposed to digital-engagement learning opportunities were far more likely to be politically engaged online \u2013 even controlling for prior levels of online political engagement, prior digital-engagement learning opportunities, and relevant demographic variables. Specifically, youth became much more likely to circulate, create, or comment on political content and they became at least three times as likely to participate in a political pressure campaign—one in which they contacted a government agency, nonprofit, or business to express their views.<\/p>\n Similarly, there\u2019s a vanguard of teachers in schools that are working to develop students\u2019 civically oriented media literacies as part of their curriculum. In Oakland, for example, teachers Jason Muniz, Johanna Paraiso, and Nina Portugal have been working over the past several years with my colleague\u00a0Erica Hodgin<\/a>\u00a0to develop students\u2019 capacities to blog for social change. These efforts often start in modest ways, with students reading and then commenting on other students\u2019 blogs—using either\u00a0Edublogs<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Youth Voices<\/a>. Over time, students do their own research and blog about the civic issues they care most about (see video of these teachers and their students\u00a0here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Though these results indicate that efforts to teach digital engagement literacies can be impactful, it is also important to highlight some reason for concern. Sixty-four percent of the youth we surveyed said they\u00a0did not have any<\/i>\u00a0opportunities in school to learn how to effectively share digital content tied to a social or political issue. In short, when it comes to providing impactful educational opportunities, there is plenty of room for improvement. And by expanding opportunities in both community organizations and schools we will have a much better chance to equitably and effectively serve all youth.<\/p>\n A second concern is also worth raising. Some have worried about promoting online engagement since youth (like adults!) sometimes participate online in problematic ways. To us, this signals the importance of helping students learn to use their voice powerfully, thoughtfully, responsibly, and effectively. And learning to employ these educational approaches effectively will take some work. Fortunately, toolkits and related resources are increasingly available (see for example, the\u00a022\u00d720 Toolkit<\/a>, the\u00a0Digital Civics Toolkit<\/a>,\u00a0Civic IDEA<\/a>, and\u00a0KQED Education<\/a>).<\/p>\n So, despite the challenges and complexities, it is critical that all youth have access to high quality forms of civic media literacy education. By developing learning experiences where youth create, circulate, and reflect on civic media, educators can help youth leverage the power of digital media as they work to create a better world.<\/p>\n![\"Civic](\"https:\/\/educatorinnovator.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Civic-Media-Literacy-Infographic-768x1919-410x1024.jpg\")
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