{"id":10797,"date":"2026-07-14T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T17:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/?p=10797"},"modified":"2026-07-14T17:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T17:30:00","slug":"irt-releases-fourth-edition-of-media-ready-to-address-todays-evolving-media-and-substance-use-landscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/es\/irt-releases-fourth-edition-of-media-ready-to-address-todays-evolving-media-and-substance-use-landscape\/","title":{"rendered":"iRT Releases Fourth Edition of Media Ready to Address Today\u2019s Evolving Media and Substance Use Landscape"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>July 14, 2026, Durham, NC \u2013 Today&#8217;s middle school students are exposed to more substance-related media messages than ever before, and <em>Media Ready<\/em> has been helping them navigate those influences for two decades. Now, iRT is excited to announce the release of the fourth edition of <em>Media Ready<\/em>, our evidence-based substance misuse prevention program designed to help students think critically about media messages and make healthier decisions.<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s middle school students are navigating a media landscape that looks dramatically different than it did just a few years ago. From influencer marketing and viral trends to emerging nicotine products, targeted digital advertising, and expanded opportunities for tobacco companies to promote harmful products, young people are exposed to a constant stream of messages that can shape their attitudes and decisions related to substance use. Prevention education must keep pace.<\/p>\n<p>To ensure <em>Media Ready<\/em> continues to meet the needs of today\u2019s students and educators, iRT completed a comprehensive refresh of one of our most widely used prevention programs, updating its content, media examples, classroom activities, and instructional materials.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Today&#8217;s Media and Substance Use Landscape<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The newly released fourth edition of <em>Media Ready<\/em> includes substantial updates designed to reflect the modern media landscape and the realities facing today&#8217;s middle school students.<\/p>\n<p>Highlights include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>72% new media examples<\/strong> featuring contemporary advertisements and marketing content<\/li>\n<li>More examples drawn from platforms and media commonly used by youth, including Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, websites, and more<\/li>\n<li>Additional examples related to vaping and emerging nicotine products<\/li>\n<li>New content addressing <strong>nicotine pouches<\/strong>, one of the fastest-growing nicotine product categories<\/li>\n<li>Expanded information about the physical and mental health effects of substance use<\/li>\n<li>New discussions of social media advertising and influencer marketing<\/li>\n<li>Updated activities that help students recognize target audiences, persuasive techniques of advertising, and new marketing strategies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Improved Resources for Educators<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The fourth edition also includes significant enhancements for educators. The redesigned Teacher Manual features larger fonts, additional white space for easily tracking progress while teaching, and screenshots of presentation slides to improve usability and lesson preparation. Every media example and discussion question is integrated directly into the multimedia presentation, helping educators deliver lessons more easily and efficiently. Several activities have also been streamlined or made optional, allowing instructors greater flexibility in adapting the program to their classroom needs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Continuing a Legacy of Evidence-Based Prevention<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Media Ready<\/em> was developed to help youth understand how media messages influence attitudes and behaviors related to substance use. By teaching students how to critically analyze advertising and marketing messages, the program empowers them to resist unhealthy influences and make informed decisions.<\/p>\n<p>While platforms, products, and marketing tactics have changed, the importance of helping young people think critically about media messages has only grown. The fourth edition of <em>Media Ready<\/em> equips educators with timely, engaging, and evidence-based tools to help students navigate today&#8217;s media-saturated world with confidence.<\/p>\n<p>By combining substance misuse prevention with media literacy education, <em>Media Ready<\/em> empowers students to recognize influence, question persuasive messages, and make healthier decisions, skills that are more important than ever in today&#8217;s digital age.<\/p>\n<p>Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/mediareadyprograms.com\/#training\">https:\/\/mediareadyprograms.com\/#training<\/a> to sign up for the teacher training workshop to learn more about media literacy education as a means for preventing substance use and learn how to teach the new fourth edition of <em>Media Ready<\/em> to middle school students. In this way, your school or organization can bring current, engaging, and evidence-based prevention education to students. Learn more at: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediareadyprograms.com\"><strong>www.mediareadyprograms.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>July 14, 2026, Durham, NC \u2013 Today&#8217;s middle school students are exposed to more substance-related media messages than ever before, and Media Ready has been helping them navigate those influences for two decades. Now, iRT is excited to announce the release of the fourth edition of Media Ready, our evidence-based substance misuse prevention program designed to help students think critically about media messages and make healthier decisions. Today\u2019s middle school students are navigating a media landscape that looks dramatically different than it did just a few years ago. From influencer marketing and viral trends to emerging nicotine products, targeted digital advertising, <a href=\"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/es\/irt-releases-fourth-edition-of-media-ready-to-address-todays-evolving-media-and-substance-use-landscape\/\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[322,327,333,359],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media-literacy-education","category-media-literacy","category-media-ready","category-media-ready-online"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10797"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10798,"href":"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10797\/revisions\/10798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irtinc.us\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}