Help your kids tell fact from fiction online. We've launched a new webinar for parents (grandparents, carers, aunts and uncles etc.) to help children spot misinformation in their newsfeeds, searches and social media. The pandemic has shown us how vitally important it is to know a trusted source and recognise 'clickbait'. Youngsters are often seen [...]
Do your pupils know how to discern fact from fiction? Google answers 11 million questions from UK schoolchildren every day1. More than half completely trust or 'don’t consider' the reliability of the information2. KS3 teachers and senior school leaders are invited to a FREE 2-hour online workshop to help develop classroom resources and learn simple [...]
The latest figures from OFCOM's 'Children's Media Use & Attitudes' survey are due to be published in February. They're expected to show that an increasing number of young people get their news online, but that fewer of them can tell fact from fiction. It's becoming harder for children - and adults - to recognise misinformation [...]
Should democracies embrace or fear social media and new online platforms? That's the question the Select Committee on Democracy and Digital Technologies has been considering. Led by Lord Puttnam it called for evidence on the impact on political campaigning, the electoral process, our understanding of the truth and public's wider engagement with politics and political [...]
In the lead up to an election political misinformation and disinformation are widespread online. What advice can we give young people - soon to be voters - about accessing reliable information? These tips will help equip them - and all of us - to make informed decisions. Find the source Don’t trust something just because [...]
With a snap election looking highly probable and the volume of online misinformation seen during the 2017 General Election set to continue, how can we ensure the electorate is making well-informed voting decisions? Our co-founder, Shelley Metcalfe spoke recently at TEDx Macclesfield about the cost of careless clicks, how we are all part of the problem [...]
As governments seek to tackle misinformation and other problems posed by the digital age, digital (or media) literacy is often cited as a significant part of any solution. The recent 2019 report by the DCMS Select Committee called for digital literacy to be the “fourth pillar of education alongside reading, writing and maths.” However the Government [...]
In the summer term The Digital Life Skills Company ran 10 'Digital Thinking Skills' workshops in primary and secondary schools across the region, supported by an RSA Catalyst grant. Feedback from schools in Manchester, Stockport, Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent showed online skills had improved after just one session. There was a high level of appreciation and [...]
Childhood has become increasingly commercialised as young people spend more time online, inside and outside school. The average person is estimated to see a whopping 5,000 adverts every day. These activities will help your students develop a healthy scepticism towards the marketing content that permeates their online world. Invite your class to share examples of [...]
Games, videos, news stories, social media posts and memes. Online advertisers often disguise their marketing messages as entertainment or information. You may know the difference, but do children? Online advertisers are using increasingly sophisticated marketing techniques, making it harder for young people to recognise when they are being sold to. The Advertising Standards Authority currently [...]