Editor’s note: Kara Alaimo serves as an associate professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her publication “Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Reclaim It” was released in 2024 by Alcove Press. Connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky.
CNN
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Numerous parents were already anxious about their children being subjected to misleading information and other detrimental content on social media prior to Meta’s unexpected decision to eliminate its fact-checkers.
Presently, there is cause for concern that matters may deteriorate further.
On Tuesday, Meta declared it is terminating its fact-checking collaborations for Instagram and Facebook in the United States. Rather, users will have the opportunity to compose “community notes” on contentious posts. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that, as a consequence, the firm will identify less “harmful content” published on its platforms.
It’s not as if social media networks were thoroughly examined and had robust sourcing for users’ posts previously. However, Zuckerberg’s choice emphasizes the necessity for children to be educated on how to discern what they should and should not accept as true on social media. Parents can seize this moment to engage in discussions with their kids about why they ought to refrain from sharing or reacting to claims they encounter online without verifying them beforehand.
Here’s what you should instruct them about.
Verify with mainstream media, not influencers
To assess whether a social media post is accurate, mainstream media provides a useful starting point. “Consider if other reputable, mainstream news organizations are covering the same story,” advised James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that assists parents and educators in nurturing critical thinking abilities in children. “If they’re not, it doesn’t imply it’s not valid, but it indicates you should investigate further.”
To grasp how to interpret media coverage, parents ought to motivate their kids to “consume more news, not less,” asserted Dr. Jingsi Christina Wu, associate professor of media studies at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, via email. This can be achieved by reading or viewing the news together and then discussing it. Wu indicated that the more children engage with the news, the more analytical skills they develop in interpreting it.
When analyzing posts, Steyer noted that kids should be instructed to evaluate who created the content, whether they appear credible, what their intentions might be, and who could benefit from or be disadvantaged by it.
Specifically, Wu emphasized that kids should be informed that “your favorite influencers are not authorities.” Parents can clarify that it’s “acceptable to enjoy your favorite TikTokers or YouTubers for their entertainment or unique insights, but they are not certified experts on facts and they possess their own biases regarding the world.”
Likewise, children (and their parents) shouldn’t presume something is accurate merely because it has garnered extensive views or likes. “Viral content does not equal truth,” Wu cautioned. Indeed, she mentioned, “False information spreads more rapidly by exploiting human tendencies to share unusual stories.”
Caution against telltale mistakes, emotional material, and algorithms
Searching for minor mistakes in areas like spelling and punctuation is another method to identify questionable posts, Wu mentioned. She also recommended prompting children to scrutinize elements in images and videos for indications of alteration. For instance, a hand with an incorrect amount of fingers could indicate that artificial Intelligence produced it, she pointed out.
Children should regard it as a warning sign if a piece of media elicits intense feelings in them, Steyer noted. “Misinformation and disinformation are crafted to provoke extreme responses from individuals.”
Youth should learn not to engage with misleading or radical content because algorithms are designed to present individuals with what they believe will interest them — hence, the more they view or interact with certain types of content, the greater the likelihood they are to receive more similar material.
Children ought to understand that, as they consume content, creators frequently benefit financially from their views, stated Dr. Devorah Heitner, the Chicago-based author of “Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World.” This occurs because increased view counts typically enable creators to earn more revenue from advertisements. This serves as another motivation to avoid content that is misleading or problematic.
When I hold discussions with parents at schools regarding managing their children’s social media interactions, I advise consuming social media material on subjects that captivate their kids alongside them. For example, if a child aspires to be a veterinarian, they can view videos from various zoos globally. Consequently, even in the absence of the parent, algorithms are likely to present the child with related posts.
Wu indicated that parents ought to motivate their children to engage in conversations with them when uncertain about assessing whether content is accurate. Even if parents have doubts about its authenticity, it’s not advisable to express that immediately. “Kids may feel judged or dismissed if parents merely laugh things off or completely dismiss all online material as fake or unreliable,” she cautioned.
Alternatively, Wu recommended that parents conduct research with their children. “This method keeps the conversation open and also mitigates … the pressure of needing to know everything at all times,” she remarked. “It also shows children that learning is a continuous process and media literacy is a skill that requires regular exercise.”
With Meta’s recent policy changes, I anticipate that children will be exposed to even greater perilous content on social media. However, parents can safeguard their kids by educating them on how to assess what they encounter online, so they understand what to trust and how to evade problematic material.
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