Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
EXPLORATORY
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge is to explore how generative AI can strengthen media literacy among young people in Zacatecas by helping them recognize narrative framings and reflect on their own biases when interpreting information related to safety.
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
In Zacatecas, where the perception of violence is informed about the complex situation of violence through formal and emergent media channels, the spread of misinformation and emotionally charged narratives has become a growing concern for public trust and social cohesion. Strengthening information integrity is a priority for the state government, which recognizes that enhancing citizens’ capacity to critically engage with news—particularly among youth—is key to building more resilient communities. In alignment with this interest, the Governance Unit and the Accelerator Labs in UNDP Mexico have collaborated with state authorities to convene a series of multi-stakeholder workshops aimed at identifying local and sectoral priorities and strategies to tackle misinformation. These dialogues included the active participation of young community leaders from the state-run program Jóvenes Constructores de Paz (JUCPAZ), who contributed valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by their peers. The current challenge builds on this groundwork, seeking to test how generative AI tools, embedded in workshop settings, can foster critical media skills and support young people in navigating an increasingly complex information environment.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
In Zacatecas, 8 out of 10 adults report feeling unsafe living in their community, according to the National Urban Security Survey (ENSU, 2025) [1]. This figure is significantly higher than the national average, where 6 out of 10 people report feeling unsafe. Although subjective, this perception directly affects everyday decision-making, mobility, institutional trust, and individuals’ sense of agency, especially among young people.
See Figure 1. Cities with the highest and lowest perceptions of insecurity in Mexico. Source: Author’s elaboration using data from INEGI, ENSU Q2-2025.
In addition to this high perception of insecurity, the national context reinforces an alarming scenario. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED, 2025), Mexico ranks as the fifth most extreme conflict zone in the world, only behind Ukraine, Russia, Palestine, and Myanmar [2]. This situation has accelerated the circulation of both information and misinformation through digital media, making it crucial to strengthen citizens’ capacity for analysis, verification, and informed action in complex, insecure, and overloaded information environments.
The same ENSU (INEGI, 2025) reveals that over 58% of people in Mexico learn about security issues through Facebook, and 56% through personal conversations with neighbors. This highlights that information flows not only through formal media, but also through social networks and everyday conversations—often without verification mechanisms—which can amplify rumors, social anxiety, and community stigma.
This reality intersects with the information habits of youth. The Digital News Report 2025 from the Reuters Institute shows that young people in Mexico are rapidly shifting toward audiovisual formats to stay informed, particularly through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Mexico is one of the countries where more people prefer watching news over reading or listening to it [3], especially among the 18–24 age group. While globally, 55% of people still prefer reading news, in Mexico audiovisual consumption dominates: 72% of the audience watches news videos weekly, driven by algorithms that prioritize viral and emotionally charged content.
See Figure 2. Proportion of people who prefer reading, watching, or listening to online news (selected markets). Source: Digital News Report, Reuters Institute, 2025
This transformation has been accompanied by a reorganization of the national media ecosystem: Televisa-Univisión has consolidated its digital strategy through N+ and ViX, targeting younger audiences, while media outlets such as El Universal, Infobae México, UnoTV, and independent creators have expanded on platforms like YouTube. However, this visual boom has unfolded in a context of high journalist precarity, political polarization, and low trust in media (36%), increasing the risk of exposure to misinformation—particularly among youth who consume news almost exclusively via social media.
Despite the urgency, Mexico lacks a coordinated national policy on media and digital literacy. While isolated efforts exist across academia, civil society, and some media organizations, there is no public strategy to support young people in developing critical skills for navigating digital environments that are saturated, polarized, and emotionally intense. The absence of such programs widens social gaps and democratic vulnerabilities, especially in contexts like Zacatecas marked by insecurity and misinformation.
Globally, UNESCO has developed a set of Guidelines for Media and Information Literacy (MIL) policies and strategies [4], encouraging states to adopt broad conceptual frameworks that integrate media, information, and digital literacy into policies on freedom of expression, access to information, intercultural dialogue, and youth empowerment. These guidelines stress that MIL should not be treated as an isolated activity, but rather as a cross-cutting tool for sustainable development, digital inclusion, and civic participation. UNESCO also promotes a Global MIL Assessment Framework, which offers methodologies for diagnosing and monitoring these competencies, especially among teachers and educators in training.
An illustrative example is the European Union, which implemented policies related to audiovisual media and media literacy through the Media Programme and Media Literacy, coordinated by the Information Society and Media Directorate-General. Since 2000, as part of the Lisbon Agenda, they have promoted workshops and media literacy projects, building cooperation networks among countries and investing over €3.5 million to foster critical media use and social participation in community life [5]. While these efforts are valuable and offer important lessons, we must continue to work toward comprehensive proposals.
As Pérez Tornero (2012) warns [6], without an educational policy that systematically incorporates media literacy into school curricula—from a critical and civic perspective—efforts will remain fragmented and reactive. Advancing toward a preventive approach, such as prebunking (training people before exposure to misinformation), requires equipping youth with tools that strengthen their cognitive, emotional, and digital autonomy in an increasingly noisy information landscape.
[1]
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI). (2025, marzo). Encuesta Nacional de Seguridad Pública Urbana (ENSU) 2025 – Presentación ejecutiva. https://www.inegi.org.mx/contenidos/programas/ensu/doc/ensu2025_marzo_presentacion_ejecutiva.pdf
[2]
Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). (2025, June 12). CAST monthly report – June 2025. https://acleddata.com/2025/06/12/cast-monthly-report-june-2025/
[3]
Reuters Institute. (2025). Digital News Report 2025. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-06/Digital_News-Report_2025.pdf
[4]
Grizzle, A., Moore, P., Dezuanni, M., Asthana, S., Wilson, C., Banda, F., & Onumah, C. (2013). Media and information literacy: Policy and strategy guidelines. UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/es/media-information-literacy/policy-strategy
ISBN: 978-92-3-001239-7
[5]
Margalef Martínez, J. (2010). Políticas educativas y alfabetización mediática para una educación de calidad en España en el siglo XXI: consulta a expertos. En Congreso Euro-Iberoamericano de Alfabetización Mediática y Culturas Digitales, Sevilla: Universidad de Sevilla. https://www.gabinetecomunicacionyeducacion.com/sites/default/files/field/adjuntos/politicas_educativas_y_alfabetizacion_mediatica_para_una_educacion_de_calidad_en_espana_en_el_siglo_xxi.pdf
[6]
Pérez Tornero, J. M. (2012). Un nuevo horizonte para la educación en medios. Sphera Pública, (12), 5–17. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/297/29729577001.pdf
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
The spread of false or inaccurate information today represents one of the main risks to social cohesion, public perception, and the exercise of fundamental rights such as access to truthful information. For example, a 2017 study conducted in Zacatecas identified nine Facebook pages that, during the first half of that year, systematically disseminated unverified content with strong emotional charge and political bias, reaching more than 70,000 people [1]. These platforms, by simulating legitimate news outlets, distort the public sphere and weaken democratic deliberation, especially in contexts marked by polarization or institutional distrust.
From a perspective centered on the integrity of the information ecosystem, it is essential to recognize that the impacts of disinformation are not merely communicational, but also social, emotional, and cognitive. The United Nations Development Programme has pointed out that information integrity is directly linked to the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of the data circulating within our communities [2]. When that integrity breaks down, it gives way to an infodemic: a phenomenon of overabundance of false or distorted information which, as the World Health Oorganization (WHO, 2025) warns, poses a serious risk to informed decision-making—particularly in times of crisis [3].
A key element in understanding the spread of false content is the role played by cognitive and emotional biases. Recent studies show that many people share misinformation not out of malice, but because they rely on mental shortcuts in situations of uncertainty. Confirmation bias leads us to accept information that reinforces our preexisting beliefs; availability heuristics cause us to overestimate repeated or emotionally charged events; and the need for belonging can prompt individuals to share unverified content simply to be part of a collective conversation [4]. These biases are intensified by emotions such as fear, outrage, or anxiety, and are exacerbated in closed digital environments—such as echo chambers or epistemic bubbles—where narratives are reinforced without space for contrast [5].
Given this panorama, strengthening information integrity is an urgent task. Regulatory mechanisms and technological verification tools are necessary but insufficient: person-centered approaches are also required—ones that address the psychological and social drivers that facilitate the spread of disinformation. Promoting critical thinking, enhancing digital literacy, and ensuring access to trustworthy information are now essential conditions for fostering resilient citizenship, a deliberative public sphere, and a democracy with greater capacity to respond.
Fuentes:
[1]
Contreras Padilla, S. O. (2018). Facebook como motor de la posverdad en Zacatecas, México. Estudios en Derecho a la Información, (6), 27–47. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=7399675
[2]
Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD). (2022, febrero). Integridad de la información: Allanar el camino a la verdad, la resiliencia y la confianza. https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-07/Information%20Integrity%20-%20Forging%20a%20Pathway%20to%20Truth%2C%20Resilience%20and%20Trust%20SPANISH_0.pdf
[3]
World Health Organization (WHO). (2024). Impact of the COVID-19 infodemic on frontline workers and health systems: Analysis of story-telling approach for infodemic management. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/380316/9789240104594-eng.pdf?sequence=1
[4]
Xu, R. (2021, January 15). You can’t handle the truth: Misinformation and humanitarian action. Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog. https://blogs.icrc.org/law-and-policy/2021/01/15/misinformation-humanitarian/
[5]
Hook, K. (2022). Social media misinformation and the prevention of political instability and mass atrocities. Stimson Center. https://www.stimson.org/2022/social-media-misinformation-and-the-prevention-of-political-instability-and-mass-atrocities/
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
The value proposition of designing and testing an AI tool to strengthen critical skills and media literacy lies in its potential to offer an engaging, scalable, and context-sensitive way to support young people in navigating complex information ecosystems. By leveraging generative AI, the tool can simulate diverse narrative framings, surface implicit biases, and prompt reflective thinking—functions that traditional media education tools often lack. This approach not only makes learning more interactive and personalized, but also mirrors the dynamics of digital environments where misinformation often circulates. For local governments and education actors, the tool offers an innovative, low-cost complement to existing civic education efforts. For UNDP, it creates a concrete use case for responsible AI aligned with development outcomes, while generating insights into how technology can be applied to safeguard information integrity in fragile or violence-affected contexts. Ultimately, the pilot contributes to building more informed, resilient youth who are better equipped to resist manipulation and contribute to a more truthful public discourse.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
An AI-assisted media literacy tool is helping young people in Zacatecas, Mexico spot misinformation, reflect on online narratives, and build critical thinking skills for digital spaces for more informed, empowered communities. #MediaLiteracy #AIforGood
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
How can AI assist better prebunking and media literacy learning experiences with young people and influence the emotional awareness and critical reasoning of participants when faced with misinformation?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Test
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
The AI-assisted tool collects data from participants related to their context and experience, uses AI to generate personalized fictional news, analyses patterns and results, and creates visualizations to support collective reflection.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Most existing data on misinformation and media literacy come from surveys, social media analytics, or experimental studies that measure individual knowledge or attitudes in controlled settings. However, they rarely capture:
- Real-time, community-level reflections on how young people interpret, share, or emotionally respond to misinformation.
- The social dynamics of collective meaning-making, such as how peers influence perception or trust.
- Contextual and cultural factors shaping how misinformation on sensitive topics (like security or violence) spreads and is perceived.
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
Early leads to grow the initiative point to the strong potential for adoption by educators in high schools and universities, who are increasingly confronted with the challenges posed by misinformation but may lack the specialized knowledge or tools to address it effectively. One of the key strengths of the AI tool is its ability to simplify complex concepts—such as narrative framing and biases in the construction and interpretation of media messages—into accessible, interactive experiences that do not require users to have a deep understanding of information integrity theory.
This makes the tool potentially attractive to professors of history, communication, civics, ethics, or social sciences who are seeking practical ways to engage students on current issues related to media, violence, and public discourse. The tool can serve as an entry point for critical discussion, allowing educators to facilitate meaningful reflection with minimal preparation. Additionally, because the tool can be embedded in participatory workshop formats or classroom modules, it aligns with experiential and inquiry-based learning methods already used in many educational settings. These features open the door for partnerships with local education institutions, teacher training programs, and public initiatives like Jóvenes Constructores de Paz, enabling the initiative to scale organically while supporting broader state efforts to promote informed and resilient youth citizenship.
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16Peace, justice and strong institutions
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