What to do if your child believes misinformation

Supporting children with additional needs

Use this simple guide to help you take action and support your child if they find and believe harmful misinformation online.

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Steps to take if your child has believed misinformation

Follow the steps below to support your child if they have believed harmful misinformation online.

1. Validate the feelings

Don’t tell them they’re wrong or the information is fake.

Instead, start with emotions. They might believe something that brings out big emotions. Let them know that it’s okay to feel that way.

2. Pause and reset

Get them to take a screen time break. Physically move to a different space and lead them in a different activity like stretching or something off-screen they enjoy.

This can help pull your child out of any ‘digital loop’ they might be stuck in because of the misinformation.

3. Review the original post

Once your child has had some time away, ask them to show you where they saw the information. This might be a post, video or comment. Together, talk about:

Why someone would want to share this information;
How it could hurt people’s feelings or health;
Whether there are any clues that the information could be fake (such as misspelling, dramatic music, ALL CAPS, etc.).

This can help your child consider the information in different ways.

4. Play ‘detective’

Together, use search engines to find two more sources that support the misinformation. You can also use FullFact.org or Snopes if the misinformation seems widespread.

If supporting information is identical across websites, or if it isn’t from websites you know and trust, the information is unlikely to be true.

5. Talk about next time

If your child uses platforms with content submitted by users, they are likely to see misleading information.

Put in place rules about information they see before believing it or sharing it. For example, maybe they must find two trustworthy sources first.

What to do next

Children with additional needs may feel strong emotions after realising they’ve believed misinformation. They might experience anxiety, confusion, fixation on the topic or distress and repeated questioning.

Click the issue your child might be experiencing below for tips on how to manage these feelings.

Feeling embarrassed or upset with themselves

Some children with additional needs might feel like they made an embarrassing mistake or that they should have known better. This can lead to spiralling thoughts or fixation on the error and negative self-talk.

Normalise the mistake. Share a time where you or another adult believed false information (online or offline) and how you dealt with it. Knowing that others — even adults — get fooled can help some children go easier on themselves.
Praise the change. If your child was convinced of misinformation and were able to change their mind, that’s amazing! Not everyone can admit when they’re wrong or make the effort to prove themselves wrong. Praise your child for changing their mind, not for being right.
Redirect the blame. Let your child know that they are not wrong for believing misinformation. Instead, focus on the person sharing and spreading that information — especially if it’s to make money or make people upset.

Feeling vulnerable or unsafe

If the misinformation your child believed was scary, they might still feel that fear even after they know it’s false. Some children with additional needs might have a nervous system that takes a lot longer to calm down. This can make the internet feel like a place that is no longer safe.

Focus their senses. When their nervous system is in overdrive, some children might benefit from weighted blankets, tight hugs, crunchy snacks or other sensory tricks to help them feel regulated.
Create a list of safe sites. Explain that information from people on social media or in online games might not always be real. Create a list of 3-5 sites they can use for trustworthy information. Examples include CBBC, National Geographic Kids, your local library or sites that their school uses. Display the list somewhere visible as a reminder.
Curate their feeds. If your child is more independent, do this together. Otherwise, go through your child’s suggested content and curate what they can see. On TikTok for example, you can turn on the STEM feed. On YouTube, you can turn off watch history and recommended content to help with this.

Confusion or rigid attachment

If the information your child believed relates to a special interest or makes them feel happy or excited, it can be harder for them to believe it’s false. They might refuse to change their belief even when presented with evidence. Or they might grieve the information being false.

Validate the disappointment. Let them know that it’s okay for them to feel upset, especially if they were really looking forward to something (like a new game release date, for example).
Redirect their interest. Try to do something related to the misinformation topic that can help channel your child’s energy elsewhere. For example, if they’re upset over a hoax about a newly discovered animal, you could spend time together researching strange and weird animals that are real.