Fake news, misinformation, and coronavirus

With increasing fake news around coronavirus and levels of reporting causing concern and confusion, children and young people may find it harder to separate fact from fiction.

To help them make sense of what they see online and how this can impact their lives in the real world, here are five tips to empower them.

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See tips to help children and young people challenge fake news online and build their critical thinking.

5 top tips to support children and young people

1. Talk to them about the issue

Often children will rely on family and friends to fact check what they are seeing online, so it’s important to have conversations about the issue to help them feel confident that they have the right information, and to stop them from believing false claims or dangerous myths

2. Check the source of the information

More and more of us are getting our news from social platforms rather than traditional media outlets. So, encouraging children and young people to check the source of the posts and the credibility of the news they see online to build their critical thinking is key.

Here are simple ways to check the information is reliable:

Use fact-checking sites like Full Fact or Snopes
Do a search on the author or organisation that it comes from
Check if the information comes from a
reputable site
Check If the web address looks suspicious
If there are any images or videos do a search to see if they have been faked

3. Discuss the impact of reposting false information

It can be tempting to share something that is shocking with others but it may cause more people to be misled into believing something is true when it’s not. So cross-checking with other sources and questioning why this information is being shared is important.

4. Use tech tools on platforms to limit their news feed and manage what they see

If your child comes across news that they feel is fake or causing them to feel uncomfortable, together, get them to use the tools on the platform they use. They should mute, block and report profiles, posts and information that may be triggering and unverified.

5. Regularly check-in with them to protect their wellbeing

If they are feeling anxious or distressed by listening or seeing news around particular issues, encourage them to switch it off and point them towards doing something that they enjoy to take their mind off it and reassure them that they are safe.

Visit our fake news and misinformation advice hub for more advice to support children and young people