What is media literacy?
Media literacy is the ability to assess information you come across online. This means recognising when something might mislead readers (dis or misinformation) or is meant to poke fun at something (satire).
It is not a skill that always comes naturally to children, so it’s important to give them the tools to fact-check or ask for support. As children grow and practise this skill, they will learn to approach information they see online with caution. This can therefore help stop the spread of misleading and potentially harmful information online.
Types of misleading information
Misleading information comes in many shapes and sizes. Having good media literacy skills can help children assess whether information is factual or is misleading. The following are common types of misleading information.
What is fake news?
Fake news once referred to news sources that shared false information. However, its meaning changed slightly in recent years. Often, ‘fake news’ is a term used to dismiss even legitimate sources because of disagreement. As such, ‘fake news’ is a confusing term.
Imposter news sites
Imposter news sites (or fake papers) are websites that look like standard news sites. However, they often showcase information, images and videos that mislead readers. Sometimes this content is altered to suit the narrative the site pushes while other times the information is real but actually not recent or relevant to current events.
Developing children’s media literacy skills can help them recognise when and how to fact-check these sources.
What is satire news?
Satire news is a type of comedy that makes fun of current events. These websites differ from imposter news sites because they are often transparent about their purpose, which you can usually see in their ‘About’ or ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ sections. Imposter news sites will often claim they are factual.
Sometimes users online might take a satirical story as truth, which can lead to misinformation spreading.
What is clickbait?
Clickbait is content meant to encourage people to click on the link, video or image. It’s a popular way for websites to gain visits on social media or on video-sharing platforms like YouTube. Often, the content featured in the thumbnail isn’t actually in the link users click.
Common forms of clickbait include:
- incomplete text: websites might show a screenshot of a story but cut off the end so users click.
- outrageous claims or images: advertisers might include something that seems so strange that people want to click to see the whole story or will comment on the post.
- hacks or ‘easy’ crafts: especially in videos, thumbnails show something ridiculous that encourages people to click and comment.
- long videos that don’t deliver: these videos might feature a hack or story that hooks viewers who watch for the pay-off. However, after some time watching, users realise the pay-off isn’t coming and will often complain in the comments. This engagement helps accounts gain more visibility and engagement, which can help with monetisation.
What are deepfakes?
Deepfakes are videos that feature digitally altered versions of people. Often, these are public figures altered to say or do something they wouldn’t actually say or do. Many deepfakes use artificial intelligence to create realistic videos that can trick people into believing they’re real.
Developing media literacy skills can help children recognise when a video might mislead them. These are some questions to ask when watching a video that might include a deepfake:
- is the person acting different than normal?
- could the message or image cause upset or anger?
- could this video’s message be harmful to a person or group of people?
How to tell if an ad is a scam
Social media apps or sites might show advertisements that aren’t reliable. Users should report scam ads so the platform can ban those advertisers. Common clues that an ad is a scam include:
- expensive items for cheap
- unknown shops or accounts
- poor reviews on sites like Trustpilot
- comments calling out the scam
Learn more about the types of scams young people might face online.
What are sock puppet accounts?
Sock puppet accounts are social media users or pages that pretend they are public figures. They can use the public’s opinion of this figure to share misleading information. It can cause confusion and lead to harm, depending on the messages shared. Children should report sock puppet accounts on the platform.
How to build media literacy skills
Building media literacy skills takes time and isn’t something that can happen instantly. Children will learn to assess information as they grow, so it’s important to regularly reinforce these skills. Here are some tips to help:
Create a routine for new information
With your child, decide on what steps they can take when they come across new information. For example, you might say they should confirm information with two different sources. See the guide below for sources they could use. Otherwise, perhaps they should speak to you if they’re unsure.
Talk regularly about news
Ask children what they know about popular news stories and where they got their information from. You might find they actually know more about an issue than you do! It’s also a great way to talk about difficult news stories that cause a lot of divide to help support their media literacy and understanding.
Parents share their experiences
- “When we ask where the information is from, it turns out to be TikTok!”
- “We still talk about politics and world events, she’s just getting information about those things from different places.”
- “We sat down, and I pointed out that those messages and ideas were completely false.”
- “It’s more important now that we talk about fake news and what makes for a reliable source of information.”
Practise media literacy skills
Using real stories or social media posts that share news, ask children to figure out whether or not it’s trustworthy. You can also use tools like our Find the Fake quizzes to help children develop those media literacy skills.
