When Teens Find Misinformation, These Teachers Are Ready

Without an explicit mandate from lawmakers, though, some schools — many of which face staff shortages and political fights over classroom subjects — struggle to integrate media literacy into their curriculum. And those that manage to do so often teach it using outdated checklists delivered in short bursts, rather than as an integrated part of core subjects.

But media and information literacy advocates said the difficulties were outweighed by the dangers if young students fail to recognize rhetorical red flags and fall prey to confirmation bias online, where they could unwittingly feed rumors and contribute to polarization.

“There are challenges with getting this into schools,” said Jimmeka Anderson, who founded the youth-focused group I AM not the MEdia. “But it’s a necessity for the way we live today because we’re all engaging in this online space, especially youth.”

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