A game, not a lecture.
Each level teaches specific skills: checking sources, spotting AI-generated images, noticing what a headline leaves out. Kids progress at their own pace with no ads, no open internet, and no scary content.
✦ A program for ages 7–12
Media literacy
Media literacy
starts at home.
OnLit teaches kids to think critically about what they see online. Short, playful lessons backed by what learning scientists actually know, paired with simple tools so parents can keep the conversation going.
51%
of kids 12 & under watch YouTube every day
86%
of US adults get news from digital devices
25
US states now have media literacy laws (up from 3)
2 in 3
kids correctly identified unreliable sources after learning to lateral-read — up from about 1 in 10 before training
Sources: Pew Research (2025) · Stanford Civic Online Reasoning (2021) · Media Literacy Now (2026)
Built for two audiences
One product, two customers.
Kids open OnLit and see a game. Parents open OnLit and see a window into what their kid is learning. Both are designed for the time you actually have.
A clear, non-judgmental view.
See what your child is learning each week. Get one or two prompts to start a real conversation about something they may run into online, plus a short library of explainers when you want to go deeper.
What's happening out there
The three problems we're solving.
Algorithms reward attention. Schools are stretched thin. The tools that do exist for families weren't built for the speed today's kids are growing up at.
More content, less context
Kids encounter confusing or misleading information every day, often without an adult nearby to explain it.
Few tools meet kids where they are
Most resources read like dense reports. Almost nothing on shelves feels like something a 9-year-old would actually choose to play.
Schools can't do it alone
Media literacy is required in only a handful of states. Classroom time is already stretched thin.
How OnLit works
Three pieces, working together.
We don't replace parents or teachers. We give them a small, dependable asset: a game kids want to play and a thread to pull on afterwards.
1 The game
Quests that teach one skill at a time.
Six levels in beta, from comparing dinosaur ID cards against a reference book to navigating a simulated mini-internet of made-up sites of varying trustworthiness. Each level locks in specific habits.
2 The parent view
A summary you can read in 60 seconds.
What your kid played, what skill the level worked on, and conversation prompts you can use over dinner. No dashboards to manage, no app to learn.
3 Levels that progress
A path that lasts past the first session.
Skills get harder as kids get older, eventually teaching them to double-check the information that informs their beliefs. Designed in consultation with educators.
