Thinking critically and spotting fake news
Online rumours, conspiracy theories and scams have a tendency to spread like wildfire across the internet and social media.
They’re hard to resist because they play on emotions that are quick to arouse – fear, fury, hatred. We feel these emotions and then want to do something about them – sharing the content to show that we care. This is why “fake news” – content that is incorrect, misleading and often emotionally-charged – can spread so rapidly.
It’s vital that children develop the online media literacy skills to sort misinformation and disinformation from fact, and tell fake news from accurate reports.
But fake news can look very persuasive. In some cases it is carefully designed to mimic mainstream reports. So how do you teach children to tell what’s true from what’s false?
Healthy scepticism
In its latest media use and attitudes report, which surveyed children and young people aged 3 to 17, Ofcom said that being on the alert for potentially fake information online is a key part of media literacy. “A media-literate child needs the skills which allow them to try to gather evidence and assess the validity of what they see. Part of this involves approaching information online with a degree of healthy scepticism.”
The report found that most of the children surveyed “think about the trustworthiness of the information they encounter.”
However, in practice, spotting fake news online takes a combination of good media literacy skills and one more ingredient: confidence.
Balancing skills and confidence
Think about a child in a playground. If they are keen and determined to try swinging on the monkey bars, but have not developed the skills to do it well, they are perhaps more likely to fall.
Equally, if a child is confident online, but not skilled, they may be “more likely to make mistakes which could lead to harm”.
The reverse also holds. A child with good critical thinking and understanding skills but who is not confident in using them, “may not trust their judgement, which could lead them to feel unsure or unsafe online.”
In Ofcom’s report, three-quarters of 12-17-year-olds claimed to be confident in their ability to judge what is real and what is fake online, but only 11% were unable to do so in practice.
Sharing fake news
We all get things wrong from time to time, and may unwittingly share something that turns out to be false or incorrect. This is known as misinformation.
However, children and young people may also contribute to the amplification of fake content by sharing or commenting on it – even if they do so with good intentions.
Ofcom found that 15% of 12-15 year olds would comment on a piece of misinformation to identify it as “fake news”, and 14% would share it with others, to tell them it wasn’t true. But instead of stopping the spread of such content, the algorithms underpinning many apps and platforms simply note engagement, and may recommend the post to more users as a result.
What do you need to think about?
Here are some of the things to talk to children about, to help them think about whether something is fake news or not:
Consider the source. Websites and social media accounts can be set up to look serious and reputable when they aren’t at all.
Where does the original source connect to? Does it link to groups with extremist views, for example? This can help you work out why this information is being shared – and whether it might be trying to deceive others.
Does it back up the things in claims – and are any supporting sources real?
Check with the experts. What are the leaders in the field saying about this?
Check out the authors. What else have they written? Are they reputable? Could they be bots or trolls?
Read beyond the headline. It may not represent the message of the whole piece.
Consider whether what you are sharing is a joke – and if it is, whether it could still upset or offend someone.
It’s difficult…
Spotting fake news is hard – which is one reason why it spreads so successfully.
And the term has become problematic: some people call anything they don’t like or disagree with fake news. The British Government has even stopped using the term altogether because it’s so hard to define.
But we know it exists. And it’s very important for children to learn to think critically, because a world in which nothing can be trusted is a dangerous and unpleasant place.
Fortunately, media literacy is being taught more and more in schools. And parents can help by teaching children to challenge what they read and to approach things with an open mind, questioning and looking for backup outside their own social media bubble.
Find more support
Full Fact, the UK's independent fact-checking authority, Snopes, and Channel 4 News Factcheck, all specialise in drilling down to the facts of a news story.