Cambridge Drives a New Era of Digital Maturity for the Age of AI

Updated Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Digital Literacy curricula provide future-facing framework for responsible AI and media literacyBold curriculum update empowers children to think critically, act responsibly and shape, not just consume, technology

As digital literacy moves to the forefront of education reforms worldwide, the International Education group at Cambridge University Press & Assessment (Cambridge) today announces a major transformation of its Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Digital Literacy curricula, redefining what it means for young people to thrive in an AI-powered world.

Designed for learners aged 5–14, the updated Cambridge Primary Digital Literacy and Lower Secondary Digital Literacy go beyond teaching children how to use technology. They foster digital maturity, equipping students with the judgement, critical thinking and confidence to decide why, when and how technology should be used.

The refreshed curricula provide schools with a clear, future-facing framework that empowers learners to retain agency in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. New content ranges from online wellbeing to prioritising human intelligence in the age of AI while exploring the challenges and the value that AI can bring to their lives and education. Focus shifts from mastering individual tools to building adaptable, transferable skills to enable learners not only to navigate misinformation and online harms, but to actively shape the technologies influencing their education and their futures.

What’s new?

The updated curriculum explores how AI can support multimodal communication across different audiences and platforms, and how structured dialogue with AI systems can deepen research, inquiry and critical thinking. At the same time, it strengthens media literacy and reinforces students’ ownership and understanding of their work.

New and updated topics in the curricula include:

• Online safety and cyberbullying – protection of physical and emotional wellbeing
• Community building and collaboration – using digital and AI tools
• Source-reliability and echo chambers – evaluation of AI-sourced information
• Personal responsibility while embracing digital and AI tools
• Human and artificial intelligence – how to differentiate and when to use
• Parasocial and digital relationships – understanding their personal impact
• Creation of learning outputs while remaining the primary author – such as reports and presentations
• Future-ready learners – evaluating the technology of the future

Learning in today’s digital world

Curriculum author Beverly Clarke MBE said: "It is essential that educators across all subject areas support young learners to think deeply and critically about AI and their relationship to it. This revised Cambridge curriculum supports schools to engage with AI in a positive, proactive and informed way, embedding age-appropriate content that empowers learners to develop confidence, curiosity and critical thinking as they navigate an increasingly AI-enabled world."

Nadja Djordjevic, Digital Literacy Teacher at Savremena osnovna škola, Belgrade, Serbia, was given a first look at the refreshed Lower Secondary curriculum. She said: “I especially appreciate the inclusion of risks such as increased plagiarism due to AI development, and the emphasis on personal ethics for both creators and AI engineers. I see this value as crucial within the creative world – it helps position AI as a supportive tool and at the same time preserve human authenticity and expression.” Listen to Nadia talk about her experience of piloting the curriculum.

Teaching and assessing

Schools can teach Digital Literacy as a separate subject or embed the content within other subjects, depending on approach and timetabling. For example, schools could compare the value of thinking and working mathematically against cognitive offloading to AI.

There is no formal assessment of the curricula. Learners receive formative feedback through discussion and observation. It is vital that learners demonstrate ownership and understanding of the work that they produce, particularly where AI has been used.

The curricula are free of charge to registered schools that offer Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary and are ready for teaching immediately. For more information, visit the Cambridge Primary Digital Literacy and Lower Secondary Digital Literacy pages on the Cambridge website.

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