In recent years, media literacy has become an increasingly important subject for educators and students alike. However, despite this importance, media literacy in America is lacking in comparison to other countries all over the world. One country with an emphasis on media literacy is Finland. The Finnish education system is highly regarded and often considered to be the best in the world and considers media education to allow "an individual with media literacy skills who is able to utilize as well as produce media, to understand media production and expressions of media, to reflect on his personal relationship with media and to apply critical thinking as well as embrace self-expression". One key part of their education system is the Finnish Society on Media Education, otherwise known in Finnish as Mediatatoviikko.
The Society is a relatively new addition to the Finnish education system, and was founded in 2005. Its goal is to "support and develop the field of research and practices concerning media education, contribute to the public debate and provide opportunities to share media educational experiences online and offline". Media education in Finland is taught in all grade levels, starting from day-care centers and going until secondary school. Because Finland has seen how important media education is, the Board of Education has also developed a secondary school diploma in media.
The Finnish Society in Media Education is constantly finding new ways to adapt with ever changing media and developing new ways to train teachers. The Finnish Society on Media Education also makes it very accessible for anyone outside of the education system to learn about media literacy. They offer free workshops and meetings, as well as online presentations. They also have a handbook available on their website, available in English, Swedish, Finnish, and Russian. This handbook aids in focusing on parents being the one to approach their children about their interactions with media and how to control media exposure.
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