When misinformation often travels faster than facts, teaching young people to discern credible sources has never been more urgent.
Educators are uniquely positioned to equip students to think critically about the information they consume鈥攁nd share. Drawing on insights from developmental psychology, media literacy, and classroom practice, explores how children and teenagers evaluate evidence, assign trust, and form judgments about the truth of what they see and hear.
鈥淵oung people pay close attention to who鈥檚 been consistently accurate,鈥� says Meuwissen, an associate professor and the chair of teaching and curriculum at the 人妻少妇专区鈥檚 whose research and teaching focus on how young people learn about politics and history. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e more likely to trust someone over time if their information holds up.鈥�
SIFT to get to the truth
But accuracy alone isn鈥檛 enough. Meuwissen often refers teachers and students to the , an acronym which stands for:
- Stop鈥攂efore reading or sharing something online, take a beat.
- Investigate the source.
- Find better coverage.
- Trace claims to their origin.
The SIFT framework can function as a practical tool, especially for evaluating online and social media content. According to Meuwissen, educators can play a key role by establishing classroom cultures where respectful inquiry and fact-checking are not only normalized, but also expected.
In addition, he unpacks how emotional appeal, AI-generated imagery and deepfake technology, and repeated exposure can distort public understanding鈥攁 phenomenon known as the illusory truth effect. He shares an example involving a fake image from Hurricane Helene that drives home the point that misinformation can feel true even when it isn鈥檛.
In 2021, Meuwissen and his fellow researchers published a highlighting approaches teachers can use when encountering resistance from their students to a topic, such as climate science. The study authors found that focusing primarily on the depth and conclusiveness of scientific evidence may not be effective. Instead, they urge a broader shift in addressing students鈥� identities鈥攊ncluding their political and cultural realities鈥攁longside scientific investigations of climate science and its local impacts.
In short, building trust can equip students with the ability to better spot falsehoods. More generally, Meuwissen argues, by modeling thoughtful verification and fostering classroom norms grounded in accuracy and trust, educators can help the next generation become more discerning digital citizens鈥攔eady to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex information landscape.
