Editor’s note: Kara Alaimo is an associate professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her book “Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back” was published in 2024 by Alcove Press. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky.
Many parents were already worried about their kids being exposed to false information and other harmful content on social media before Meta’s surprise decision to drop its fact-checkers.
Now, there’s reason to fear things are going to get even worse.
On Tuesday, Meta announced it’s ending its fact-checking partnerships for Instagram and Facebook in the United States. Instead, users will be able to write “community notes” on problematic posts. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that, as a result, the company will catch less “bad stuff” posted on its platforms.
It’s not like social media platforms were all vetted and had strong sourcing for users’ posts before. But Zuckerberg’s decision makes it even more important for children to be taught how to sort out what they should and should not believe on social media. Parents can also use this opportunity to talk to their kids about why they should never share or act on claims they see online without fact-checking them first.
Here’s what to teach them.
Confirm with mainstream media, not influencers
To figure out whether a social media post is accurate, the mainstream media is a good place to start. “Consider whether other credible, mainstream news outlets are reporting the same news,” said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that helps parents and teachers instill critical thinking skills in children. “If they’re not, it doesn’t mean it’s not true, but it does mean you should dig deeper.”
To learn how to understand media coverage, parents should encourage kids to “consume more news, not less,” said Dr. Jingsi Christina Wu, associate professor of media studies at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, via email. You can do so by reading or watching the news together and then discussing it. Wu said the more children consume news, the more they gain the cognitive ability to interpret it.
When evaluating posts, Steyer said kids should also be taught to consider who made the content, whether they appear trustworthy, what their motivations might be and who might benefit from or be hurt by it.
In particular, Wu said, kids should be told that “your favorite influencers are not experts.” Parents can explain that it’s “OK to watch your favorite TikTokers or YouTubers for their entertainment value or special experiences, but they are not credentialed experts on facts and they have their own biases about the world.”
Similarly, children (and their parents) shouldn’t assume something is true simply because it’s gotten a lot of views or likes. “Virality does not equal truth,” Wu warned. In fact, she said, “Fake news travels faster by taking advantage of human instincts for sharing abnormal stories.”
Beware of telltale errors, emotional content and algorithms
Looking for small errors in things such as spelling and grammar is another way to spot unreliable posts, Wu said. She also suggested encouraging kids to look at details in pictures and videos for signs they’ve been manipulated. For example, a hand with the wrong number of fingers could be a giveaway that artificial Intelligence generated it, she said.
Kids should also consider it a red flag if a piece of content provokes strong emotions in them, Steyer said. “Misinformation and disinformation are created to get extreme reactions out of people.”
Children should be taught not to consume inaccurate or extremist content because algorithms are designed to show people what they think they like — so the more they watch or engage with particular types of posts, the more likely they are to be fed more content that is similar.
Kids should know that, when they consume content, creators often profit from their views, said Dr. Devorah Heitner, the Chicago-based author of “Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World.” This happens because higher view counts often allow creators to make more money from ads. It’s another reason to steer clear of content that is false or otherwise problematic.
When I speak to parents in schools about how to handle their kids’ social media use, I suggest consuming social media content about topics that interest their children together. For example, if a kid is interested in becoming a veterinarian, they can watch videos from zoos around the world. Then, even when the parent isn’t present, algorithms are likely to feed the child similar posts.
Keep an open dialogue with your kids
Wu said parents should also encourage their kids to talk to them when they’re unsure how to judge whether content is accurate. Even if parents suspect it’s fake, it’s not a good idea to say so right away. “Children might feel judged or dismissed if parents simply laugh things off or outright brush off all online content as fake or untrustworthy,” she warned.
Instead, Wu suggested that parents do research with their children. “This approach keeps the dialogue open and also alleviates … the stress of being all-knowing at all times,” she said. “It also demonstrates to the kids that learning never stops and media literacy is a muscle that needs to be exercised.”
Thanks to Meta’s new policy, I expect that children will be exposed to even more dangerous content on social media. But parents can protect kids by teaching them how to evaluate what they see online, so they know what to believe and how to avoid problematic posts.