The Press Club Brussels Europe hosted the Level Up Forum: “Towards Inclusive Media Literacy: Protecting and Empowering Older Europeans”, a hybrid event that brought together EU policymakers, civil society organisations, media literacy experts and industry professionals to address one of the most urgent challenges of the digital society: the vulnerability of older people to disinformation.
The forum, held on 25 June 2026, was organised by HelpAge International Spain within the framework of the Level Up project, a European initiative aimed at fostering critical consumption of information among older adults and equipping them with the skills needed to navigate today’s information environment safely.
A Call to Action
Fundación Maldita.es, coordinator of the Level Up project, opened the event by highlighting the urgency of investing in media literacy for older generations in a context marked by the spread of disinformation and increasingly sophisticated manipulation techniques.
The first panel, moderated by Aida Díaz-Tendero Bollaín from HelpAge International Spain, focused on the need to approach media literacy from a human rights perspective. She stressed that it is a fundamental right that enables the exercise of other rights, especially for older people. The session also featured Alicia Homs, who noted that the digital world is useful in many areas but warned that there must always be human support behind it. In this sense, she argued that Europe should move from a logic of digital inclusion towards one of digital empowerment for citizens.
Patrick Penninckx, Secretary General of the European Seniors’ Union, stressed that while society has adapted its way of life to new technologies, it is equally necessary to consider how technologies should adapt to people. He also warned that digitalisation should not lead to the elimination of alternative channels such as in-person or telephone support when needed, emphasising that the goal must always be inclusion and the avoidance of social exclusion. The panel was completed by Carlos Hernández-Echevarría, Deputy Director and Head of Public Policy at Fundación Maldita.es, who highlighted the responsibility of the digital environment. He stressed that platform owners must assume their role in protecting users and avoiding contributing to disinformation.
Level Up, Towards inclusive Media Literacy
Level Up Project Results: What Works for Building Resilience
HelpAge International Spain and the Media Literacy Coalition (MLC) presented the results of the Level Up project in a session highlighting key lessons learned after months of work with older people across several European countries. The data shows that training programmes tailored to the specific needs of this group significantly improve their ability to identify false or manipulated content, especially when they include close support and accessible methodologies.
Pilot activities developed within the project were also presented, including videos, video games and training materials focused on media literacy. In total, 25 workshops were held with older people, reaching 495 participants, as well as 305 professionals. These activities were carried out in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Spain.
Challenges and Solutions for an Ageing Europe
After the break, the forum continued with a panel dedicated to analysing the media literacy needs and challenges of an increasingly ageing European population. Moderated by Clémence Longley from the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN), the discussion featured contributions from Katerina Lukanicova (Transitions), Lucía Gómez, media literacy expert at Fundación Maldita.es, and Andy Demeulenaere from Mediawijs (imec vzw), the Flemish centre of expertise on digital and media literacy.
Learn more about the materials here.