In our modern world, information is available anytime and anywhere. But not all the information we receive is true. Sometimes we come across so-called “fake news”, false news that is deliberately spread to deceive people or influence opinions. But how can we teach our children to recognize this fake news and to deal with information critically?
What is fake news?
Fake news is information that claims to be true news but is actually false or misleading. They are often spread intentionally to deceive people, promote certain opinions, or simply get attention and clicks. Fake news can be spread across various platforms such as newspapers, television, websites and social media.
How can we help our children recognize fake news?
- Understand the source
Explain to your child the importance of verifying the source of information. Is it a well-known and trustworthy source of information such as a newspaper or news channel? Or is it an unknown website or social media account? Teach your child to be skeptical when receiving information from an unknown or questionable source.
- Check the facts
Show your child how to check facts to make sure information is true. There are many websites that specialize in fact-checking and can help find the truth behind a claim. Teach your child how to use such websites and why it's important to verify information before sharing it.
- Pay attention to the language
Explain to your child that fake news often uses emotional or sensational language to get readers' attention. Teach your child to watch for exaggerations, general statements, and emotional words, and to question whether a message is objective and truthful.
- Talk to others
Teach your child that it is always good to talk to others about what they have read or heard. This can help broaden your perspective and hear other people's opinions. Encourage your child to talk to you, teachers, or friends about interesting news and find out together whether it is true.
Also read: Children in crisis discussions: Navigating through turbulent times
Conclusion: In a world full of information, it is important that we teach our children to think critically and recognize fake news. By teaching them to question sources, check facts and pay attention to language, we can help them become responsible and informed citizens.
Media education can help to support children and young people in dealing with fake news. Media education involves learning skills and knowledge to critically analyze and evaluate media content. Through media education, children can:
- Develop media competence: Media education teaches children to understand different media formats and to recognize the intentions and motives behind them. This helps them to be more conscious about news and information.
- Promote critical thinking: Media education promotes critical thinking by encouraging children to question information and check its credibility. This allows them to make informed decisions about what information to share and what to discard.
- Safe use of social media: Media education also includes learning safe and responsible behavior when using social media. This helps children be more conscious of the information they receive on these platforms and distinguish fake news from reliable sources.
- Strengthen communication skills: Media education teaches children how to communicate effectively and express their opinions and thoughts in a factual and respectful manner. This can help them become better able to discuss news and information while expressing their own informed opinions.
As part of Mimikama media education, we offer targeted workshops on this topic for:
Pupils from grade 9 and for
teachers
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )