Are Schools Equipped for the AI Challenge? Lessons from Portugal and Belgium

In this second article of their series on artificial intelligence and Media literacy, Seden Anlar and María Luis Fernandes take a deeper look at the way schools, teachers and students deal with the increasing presence, possibilities and risks of AI - both in Belgium and Portugal.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly transformed the digital world, with tools like ChatGPT revolutionising content creation while also enabling the rapid spread of misinformation. Concerns over AI-driven disinformation, such as deepfakes used to manipulate public opinion during elections, have prompted social media platforms and news organisations to adopt measures like AI labelling and community-driven checks. However, maintaining public trust in credible news sources and accurate information remains a challenge for social media platforms, news organisations, and policymakers, particularly as young people are increasingly vulnerable to online misinformation. In response, the European Union has launched initiatives such as the Digital Education Action Plan and the Media Literacy Guidelines to enhance digital skills and media literacy across its member states.

As we described in the first article of this series, While EU frameworks provide valuable guidance, and grassroots efforts by local governments are also making strides, action at the national level remains the missing link for translating these initiatives into cohesive, scalable solutions. The Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) assigns individual member states the responsibility for implementing these goals, requiring each country to develop its own media literacy strategy and submit progress reports every three years. This decentralised approach has resulted in significant variation in how member states implement media literacy initiatives. Two EU countries with contrasting strategies and approaches to digital media literacy in schools – Belgium and Portugal – offer valuable insights into how the challenges that come with AI are being addressed. To delve deeper, we examined policy documents and reports, analysed existing initiatives, and conducted interviews with teachers, students, and members of civil society in both countries.

Media Consumption and Literacy in Belgium

According to the Media Information Centre (CIM), Belgians are consuming more media than ever before, with nearly nine out of ten Belgians connecting to the internet daily – a 5.2% increase from 2022. The CIM study, conducted among 6,325 people between September 2022 and March 2023, also reveals changing consumption habits, with a growing appetite for video and audio content. Moreover, for the first time, the smartphone has overtaken television as the most-used media device, with 88% of Belgians using a smartphone, climbing to 98% among those aged 12-34.

Can schools step up to address these challenges and equip students with the skills needed for critical and responsible engagement with AI?

This rise in digital media consumption makes young people in Belgium particularly exposed to online disinformation. Axel Baeyens, a Belgian primary school teacher at Sint-Lievenscollege Wereldwijs, who teaches students aged 10 to 12 across subjects like math, languages, sciences, arts, and religion, frequently encounters the influence of online misinformation in his classroom: ‘Nearly every day, I have to debunk things they say they’ve seen online. They could be spouting things like “the moon is made of cheese” because someone said so online.’

A similar picture can be seen in Portugal. Young people in Portugal, like their peers in Belgium and across Europe, are increasingly turning to social media and video streaming platforms for news, distancing themselves from traditional media sources. According to the Reuters 2024 Digital News Report, 72% of Portuguese citizens are concerned about what is real or fake on the internet, a figure significantly above the global average. In Portugal political content is the most common subject of misinformation. This prevalence of disinformation affects young people’s trust in the news. Many young Portuguese express lower trust levels than older generations, which may stem from their reliance on digital platforms perceived as less credible than traditional broadcasters.

Martim Caçador, a 17-year-old high school student from the northern Portuguese town of Ponte de Lima, described his news habits: ‘I watch the news on TV sometimes with my family, but I mostly get information from social media and digital platforms. Sometimes I just go on Instagram or other platforms like X and see news from accounts I follow.’ AI has become a useful tool for young people in Portugal, as Martim explained: ‘I’d always prefer a recommendation algorithm because I only want to see what I like online, and I think that helps me. AI chatbots and similar tools help with my schoolwork. If I’m struggling with something and no one is available to help, I can use it to find answers.’

Martim’s use of AI reflects a common pattern among young people, as highlighted in reports on digital habits: recommendation algorithms and AI tools play an increasingly central role in both their personal and academic lives. While these technologies offer convenience and support, they also come with risks, such as reinforcing echo chambers or creating over-reliance on AI-generated answers without critical evaluation. This raises a pressing question: Can schools step up to address these challenges and equip students with the skills needed for critical and responsible engagement with AI?

Media Literacy Education in Belgium

According to the Media Literacy Index 2022, Belgium ranks as a ‘well-performing country’ in media literacy, yet approaches to media literacy education vary widely across its regions. In Dutch-speaking Flanders, media literacy is integrated into formal and non-formal education. The Flemish Knowledge Centre for Digital and Media Literacy, Mediawijs, promotes critical engagement with digital content. Programs like ‘News in the Classroom’ help students in their final years of primary school approach current events with a critical and creative mindset. Media literacy is also a key competency in secondary education, encouraging teachers to integrate it across subjects, including history, languages, and sciences.

In the French-speaking Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, the Conseil Supérieur de l’Éducation aux Médias (CSEM) leads media education efforts, fostering collaboration among educators, media stakeholders, and policymakers. Meanwhile, the German-speaking community has its own media centre, Ostbelgien Medienzentrum, which supports media literacy for all ages. Each community develops its media literacy strategy based on local needs, reflecting Belgium’s linguistic diversity.

‘Teachers are often reluctant to use AI applications, fearing students will rely on them for tasks and miss key skills, but most students don’t see AI as a magic solution but rather as a helpful tool.’ (Lore Sleeckx)

In Axel’s school, media literacy education falls into three categories: media wisdom, media literacy, and media skills. Media wisdom focuses on ethical media usage and critical thinking, media literacy on understanding content structure, and media skills on practical tech abilities, such as using digital devices. Media literacy is not taught as a separate class but integrated across subjects like languages, science, history, and geography, with students using digital devices for an average of 30 minutes to an hour daily. This approach has also facilitated the integration of AI tools like ChatGPT in some schools, allowing students to engage with emerging technologies in a structured way.

At Sint-Lievenscollege Wereldwijs, part of the Flemish community, this integration of AI tools plays out in classrooms. Axel explained: ‘Media literacy is included in the school’s curriculum and mandated by the government. Schools must meet “end goals” set by the government, assessed at various educational stages. With students already exposed to ChatGPT and other AI tools outside of school, I see value in incorporating these tools into lessons.’ The teacher also noted that their school primarily uses ChatGPT for writing exercises, allowing students to compare their own writing with AI-generated revisions.

However, this integration is not consistent across all Belgian schools. While AI use is widespread among students in Flanders, schools are often reluctant to adopt these tools. Lore Sleeckx, President of the Flemish Scholierenkoepel, observed, ‘We heard in conversations with pupils that they use AI, smart chatbots … for different purposes.’ Pupils favour using AI to understand complex concepts, check grammar, make summaries, and inspire school assignments. But while popular outside school, AI tools are often ignored or banned in classrooms. ‘Teachers are often reluctant to use AI applications, fearing students will rely on them for tasks and miss key skills,’ Sleeckx added. ‘But most students don’t see AI as a magic solution but rather as a helpful tool.’

Digital Media Literacy Education in Portugal

Portugal has made efforts in promoting digital literacy over the years. Initiatives like the Technological Plan, launched in 2007, provided discounted laptops and internet access to students, marking an early step toward digital inclusion. Building on this foundation, the Portuguese authorities unveiled the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence – labelled AI Portugal 2030 – on 11 June 2019. This strategy emphasises integrating AI education into the curriculum to foster digital literacy and prepare future generations for an increasingly AI-driven world.

One initiative leading this change is Bridge AI, a national project funded by the Portuguese Science Foundation under its ‘science for policy’ program. Led by Professor Helena Moniz and established in 2024, Bridge AI aims to prepare Portugal for the implementation of the EU AI Act by developing actionable policy strategies and creating tools to support public administration. The project takes a holistic approach by integrating ethics, literacy, and law into a cohesive framework designed to address the needs of diverse audiences, including public administrators, industry professionals, and civil society. Bridge AI aims to address gaps in education and public awareness to ensure that citizens across Portugal, regardless of their location, have access to critical knowledge about artificial intelligence and its implications.

’We try to guide students on responsible use and allow digital tools when possible, but it’s often self-taught.’ (Lurdes Cruz)

Despite initiatives such as Bridge AI, Portugal currently lacks a formal, nationwide digital media literacy curriculum or structured guidelines for public schools. Efforts to promote media literacy often rely on fragmented programs and resources developed by organisations such as the Regulatory Authority for the Media (ERC). While these projects aim to raise awareness, their impact is limited by a lack of consistent integration into school curricula.

As we learned from the interviews we did with teachers and students, teachers often encourage responsible digital tool use and assess students' media literacy skills through informal methods, such as presentations and assignments. However, these approaches remain largely unstructured and dependent on individual educators. ‘Media literacy education is not currently included in our school curriculum in a direct way. We try to guide students on responsible use and allow digital tools when possible, but it’s often self-taught. I assess students’ media literacy skills during assignments and presentations when they use digital tools, but we lack formal guidance. We try to alert students to the misuse of social media and AI, but there’s no specific subject in secondary school that teaches them how to navigate the digital world,’ explained Lurdes Cruz, a Portuguese teacher who teaches Portuguese and literature to high school students at a school in Lisbon.

This sentiment is echoed by students themselves. 17-year old Martim from Ponte de Lima shared his experience: ‘There was no structured approach to teaching us media literacy; there was once a presentation for the whole school, but it didn’t say much beyond warning us there might be fake news online. They didn’t teach us anything we didn’t already know.’ He noted that teachers only addressed media literacy indirectly, ‘like when we had to hand in a presentation, and they warned us not to use ChatGPT or else we’d get a bad grade.’ Martim also admitted to being unaware of the limitations of ChatGPT’s previous limitations, such as its 2021 cut-off date for data. ‘All I knew was that I could ask it questions, and most times it would help me.’

Challenges in Implementing Digital Media Literacy

While the approaches differ between Belgium and Portugal, both countries face similar challenges in their media literacy education efforts. Axel, the Belgian teacher, highlighted financial limitations that impact the availability of resources and the choice of digital platforms. Schools are under pressure to choose platforms based on cost, which can limit access to a diverse range of learning materials. Certain digital tools may eventually become premium services, further straining budgets. The teacher emphasised the importance of educators staying informed about the digital world – not necessarily by directly engaging with students’ online activities, but by understanding what is happening in those spaces. This awareness, he explained, helps teachers facilitate discussions and promote safe online practices, especially given how much of students' time is spent in digital environments outside of school.

The teacher also observed that while some educators are open to digital literacy, others remain hesitant. ‘Some teachers are open to digital literacy, while others avoid it due to unfamiliarity with modern media,’ he noted.

A lack of resources hinders schools’ ability to develop a comprehensive media literacy program that reaches all students.

In Portugal, the challenges are similar. Lurdes remarked, ‘I increasingly feel I need to keep up to date because technology is advancing fast. If I’m not familiar with developments, I feel behind, even by the students themselves.’ While teachers try to alert students to the risks and benefits of social media and AI, there is minimal official support for structured media literacy training. The teacher added, ‘We’re somewhat self-taught, which may not be effective for teaching media literacy. Many teachers haven’t fully developed these skills themselves.’

Moreover, resources are limited, affecting equitable access to digital tools for both students and teachers. This lack of resources hinders schools’ ability to develop a comprehensive media literacy program that reaches all students.

Solutions and Moving Forward

A positive development in Belgium has been the increased focus on digital tools during teacher training, with educators encouraged to use digital methods in their classrooms. However, as Axel noted, ‘Lifelong learning is key. We have opportunities to learn about digital tools, but they’re often single-day sessions that lack follow-up. Digital literacy keeps evolving, and teachers need sustained training.’

Over in Portugal, there is a growing call for the Ministry of Education to establish guidelines and training on the responsible use of social media and AI and to make digital tools accessible to both students and teachers. Martim suggested that schools teach more about engaging critically with online content, saying, ‘It’s important for students to be able to see if information is real. For example, we could have a class where they show examples of fake news and explain what we should do about it.’

In both countries, promising initiatives like Mediawijs and Bridge AI provide a strong starting point, but their success will depend on effectively bridging gaps between policy, education, and practice.

While there is a call for change and more investment into formal digital media literacy education, formal education is only one part of the picture when it comes to young people’s education in digital media literacy. In the next article, Seden Anlar and Maria Luís Fernandes will explore the role of non-formal education in building digital literacy skills and examine future plans for media literacy at the European level.

This text is part of the Come Together Fellowship Program, a training program for young journalists led by cultural journal Gerador. The text was written under the guidance of rekto:verso.

This article was published in the context of Come Together, a project funded by the European Union.