Abstract

This article examines media literacy as a longstanding means of resisting manipulation and preserving independent judgement. It traces forms of information control from antiquity to the digital age and considers their links with political authority, education, and artificial intelligence. Focusing on fairy tales, fables, and children’s literature, the study investigates how accessible narrative traditions – drawing on writers such as Aesop, Andersen, Carroll, Rodari and others – help readers recognise deception and interpret information critically. It also evaluates how these insights resonate with extended reality, social media, and contemporary intergenerational relations. The article concludes that media literacy should begin in early childhood and develop through education rooted in critical thinking and ethical responsibility, supporting civic autonomy and democratic freedom.