Fake news and misinformation: teaching kids to check before they share
Simple habits that help children and teens spot misinformation, check claims and think before forwarding, with Philippine fact-checking resources.
- Teach kids to pause before believing or sharing: strong emotions are a warning sign.
- Check who's behind it, look for other reliable sources, and check the original.
- Use Philippine fact-checkers, and model careful sharing yourself, including in family group chats.
Misinformation spreads fast: in family group chats, on Facebook pages, through TikTok videos and AI-generated images. Children and teens need simple habits to check what they see before believing or sharing it.
Why it matters
- False health information can cause real harm.
- Fake news can stir up hatred against groups or people.
- Scams often spread as "news". See scams that target kids.
- AI now makes realistic fake images, videos and voices. See spotting AI images and videos.
Four habits
A simple method, adapted from the SIFT approach used by educators:
1. Stop
If something makes you feel very angry, scared or excited, pause. Strong emotion is often what misinformation is designed to trigger.
2. Investigate the source
Who posted it? Is it a known news outlet, an expert, or an anonymous page? Click the page name. When was it created? What else does it post?
3. Find better coverage
Search for the claim. Are reliable news sources reporting it? Have fact-checkers looked at it?
4. Trace to the original
Is the photo or quote real? Where did it first appear? Is it old and being reshared as new? A reverse image search (in Google Lens) helps.
Philippine fact-checking resources
Several Philippine newsrooms and organisations run fact-checks, including VERA Files Fact Check and Rappler's fact-check section. International fact-checkers, such as AFP Fact Check, also cover the Philippines. Search "[the claim] fact check" to see whether a claim has been checked.
By age
- Younger children: "Not everything online is true. If something seems strange or scary, ask me."
- Preteens: practise with real examples. Look at a viral post together and check it.
- Teens: discuss how algorithms show us more of what we react to, and how political and commercial interests use misinformation. Senior high school students study Media and Information Literacy, so ask what they're learning.
Family group chats
Children watch how adults share. If relatives forward unchecked claims in the family group chat, it's a chance to model gently: "I looked this up and it seems it's not true. Here's what I found."
Make checking a game
Challenge your child to find out whether a viral claim is true. Praise good detective work. The goal is curiosity, not cynicism: some things online are true, and learning to tell the difference is a life skill.
eGuard sets up screen time, bedtime and app rules on your child's phone and checks that each one is really on. Free for one child.