How Finland Teaches Media Literacy
Finland has topped the Open Society Institute Sofia's Media Literacy Index for most of the years it has run, and the habit starts early: primary pupils are taught to question images, adverts and news stories as part of ordinary lessons, not in a separate media class.
- Finland topped the OSI Sofia Media Literacy Index for six consecutive years from 2017, scoring 74 out of 100 in 2023, before tying for first place with Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands in 2026.
- Since the 2016 national core curriculum reform, media literacy sits inside 'multiliteracy' (monilukutaito), one of the transversal competences taught across all subjects rather than as a standalone lesson.
- There is no dedicated media studies lesson in Finnish primary schools; pupils examine news photos, advertising and digital texts within mother tongue lessons, environmental studies and other subjects.
- Finnish researchers and outlets covering the index point to broad public trust, strong public libraries and a free press as conditions the school curriculum builds on, alongside the classroom teaching itself.
The Finnish approach to media literacy in primary school
Finland does not treat media literacy as a subject with its own timetable slot. Instead it is folded into multiliteracy, one of the seven transversal competences named in the national core curriculum introduced in 2016. Teachers are expected to bring it into whichever subject they are already teaching, so a mother tongue lesson might compare how two newspapers report the same event, while an environmental studies lesson might unpick the claims in an advert.
The word 'text' is deliberately stretched to cover far more than books and articles. Under the multiliteracy competence it also means images, video, adverts, comics, games and social media posts. Pupils are taught to ask who made a message, why, and what has been left out, using the same close-reading habits they apply to a story book.
How it differs from media literacy teaching elsewhere
In many countries media or digital literacy arrives as a bolt-on: an occasional assembly, a one-off workshop from an outside organisation, or a unit inside an ICT class focused mainly on online safety. Finland instead builds it into the everyday work of every classroom teacher, starting in the early primary years and continuing through the whole of basic education.
It is also taught without exams. There is no test of media literacy to revise for; instead teachers judge progress through classroom discussion and pupils' own analysis of texts, in keeping with how Finnish schools assess more broadly.
What this looks like day to day
In a typical week a class might compare two front pages covering the same story, discuss why an advert chose a particular image, or work out whether a picture shared online has been altered. None of this needs a computer: much of it happens with print, library books and classroom discussion long before pupils are given their own devices.
Library visits are woven in from the early years, and pupils are encouraged to treat the school and public library, rather than a single screen, as their first stop for checking a claim. The aim is a habit of mind pupils carry into secondary school and beyond, not a set of facts about media organisations.
In a Finnish classroom, media literacy is not a subject you attend. It is a habit of asking who made this, and why, that teachers build into whatever else is being taught.
Frequently asked questions
Is media literacy a separate subject in Finnish schools?
No. It is taught through 'multiliteracy', a transversal competence named in the national core curriculum since 2016, which teachers bring into mother tongue, environmental studies and other ordinary subjects rather than teaching as its own class.
Why does Finland rank so highly on media literacy indices?
The OSI Sofia Media Literacy Index has placed Finland first for most years since it began in 2017, most recently tying for first in 2026. Researchers linked to the index point to the school curriculum alongside wider conditions such as strong public libraries, a free press and high public trust.
At what age does media education start in Finland?
The groundwork starts before formal school, in early childhood education and care, and continues once children begin primary school at seven, growing more explicit as pupils get older.
How does media literacy relate to the coding and digital skills taught in Finland?
They are taught as related but distinct strands. Digital literacy and coding focuses on using technology and understanding how it works, while media literacy focuses on interpreting and questioning the messages that technology carries.
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