How To Help Your Kid Assess What's Real Or Fake Online
If you’re the parent of a tween you have probably beared witness to your kid sharing some outrageous news story or showing you a crazy video that they “swear is 100% real!” I don't know about you, but this happens in my house on a regular basis!
When you investigate a little further it turns out your kid heard it on YouTube or their friend texted it to them. This is where we try very hard not to roll our eyes. They should know better! we think to ourselves.
Why are our kids SOOOO susceptible to these stories that circulate online? The truth is they’re not alone, adults are susceptible too and it all has to do with basic human psychology.
Outrage, sadness and shock attract our attention more easily than straightforward facts which in turn translates to more clicks and shares. Creating fake news or controversial images is a quick and easy way to go viral and stir the pot.
The more fake content proliferates, the less capable we are at assessing what is real. Why does this matter? Because, not knowing what to believe leads to paranoia and mistrust, something that we’re seeing more and more of in our politics and social movements. Truth is where trust, community and true freedom stem from; and our kids need to understand that.
You may be thinking, I buy it, but how do I get my kid on board? I’ll tell you…
Your child may not care much about how fake information affects our democracy, but I can promise you that they care about their social standing, so start there. Kids, especially tweens, just want to fit in and be in the know. Unfortunately, this natural desire for acceptance from peers often means less critical thinking and more impulsive clicking and sharing.
As a parent, it’s worth appealing to your child’s need for approval from peers as a way to teach them how to be media literate.
Start here -If you catch your kid talking about some information you feel skeptical about, it's time to get curious. You can tell them:
I get that this is something everyone is talking about, but let me pause you for just a moment. Nobody wants to be seen as the dummy who got duped or “fell for” some fake thing online - it’s embarrassing. It’s better to take 10-15 minutes to verify the content before sharing it. If you find it’s real and authentic then you get to share it, if you find it’s fake then you’re the smart one who didn’t fall for it and you get some bragging rights ; ) Can I ask you some questions?
Then you pose the most important questions we should all be asking ourselves about shared content online:
Where did you read/see this?
50% of kids get their news from social media. But social media is not the place to get a full and accurate story. Explain to your kids that social media may be a place to have your curiosity sparked on a subject, but it’s not the final destination. Think of social media as the launching point for your investigation.
Who is the author or where did it originate?
You may find that what you are seeing is in its 10,000th iteration. Where and how did it begin and has it changed along the way? Is the origin trustworthy and verifiable?
Is it in its original context?
With memes proliferating like crazy many images and texts get clipped and repurposed for entertainment. This changes the meaning and can often be very misleading in terms of the message it’s sending. A fascinating example of this is the story of Pepe the Frog and how it went from a cute harmless drawing to a symbol of white supremacy via meme culture.
Has it been altered in any way?
This one is getting trickier and trickier! Deep fake videos are so good that even those with a keen eye can often miss whether something is authentic or not. Fake tweets made to look like they are retweeted from verified sources are easy to make and photoshop makes it easy to manipulate images seamlessly. Check out these crazy deep fake videos of Tom Cruise that have gone viral!
Next it’s time to teach kids basic investigative skills!
Lateral Reading: This just means that when you see or read something you want to research it further by opening up a second tab to investigate one of the claims or suspicious bits from the original content you found. From that second tab you may need to then open up a third tab to do a deeper dive into what you found in the second tab.
Point out common red flags: Of untrustworthy articles, tweets, websites and emails. Some examples are spelling and grammatical errors, strange or complicated urls and email addresses, sensational titles and images, lack of sources cited. Also, these are generally more trustworthy website extensions:
.org: An advocacy website, such as a not-for-profit organization.
.com: A business or commercial site.
.net: A site from a network organization or an Internet service provider.;
.edu: A site affiliated with a higher education institution.
.gov: A federal government site.
Check some verification websites like: Snopes, Politifact, Factcheck.org, Rumorguard.org to determine if what you’re seeing is legitimate or has been disproven.
Do a Reverse Google Image Search: A reverse image search is a way to check the origins of an image. Fact checkers will often check whether videos and photos that are circling online are real or not, where they originally came from and whether they’ve been altered. Here’s an interesting example of how this fake news about Jill Biden wearing a Lobster patterned dress was caught by journalists using this technique.
Some last thoughts…
The task of teaching our kids to be skeptical consumers of online content is an ongoing one that will take years to take hold. Periodic open conversations and holding them to high standards for information sharing will, over time, engrain itself. Parents have the ability to give kids the tools they need to navigate the digital world in a savvy, safe and ethical way. Good luck on your journey and as always please share any ideas that have worked for you and your family.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/06/tech/tom-cruise-deepfake-tiktok-company/index.html
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-pepe-the-frog-hate-symbol-20161011-snap-htmlstory.html
https://www.fosi.org/good-digital-parenting/teach-your-child-identify-reliable-websites
https://www.cnet.com/news/privacy/reverse-google-image-search-can-help-you-bust-fake-news-and-fraud/