Schools are being pushed to accelerate media literacy lessons as AI-generated content rises across social platforms and students struggle to distinguish AI outputs from non-AI sources. The reporting cites Brian Baker of Media Literacy Now and the Oregon Media Literacy Coalition, saying media literacy “can’t keep up” without new instructional approaches. The piece also ties AI literacy to mental health and teen safety, quoting Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth, chief medical officer for the JED Foundation, on the ways social media recommendations and AI-generated posts shape feeds. A nationally representative EdWeek Research Center survey (February–March 2026) found 61% of elementary educators saying students struggle “a lot” to tell AI-generated from non-AI-generated content, compared with 44% in middle school and 38% in high school. With media literacy not always a required course and AI changing rapidly, at least half of U.S. states have enacted laws to advance media literacy education, including 11 new legislation measures since January 2024, according to Media Literacy Now.