Critical thinking as a compass

Children and young people today live in a hybrid world in which analogue and digital elements can hardly be separated. But as much as the digital world offers opportunities, there are also dangers for young people. In the seemingly limitless virtual world, they are faced with a flood of information. But by no means everything is true and credible.

Influencers often spread distorted messages on behalf of their advertising partners. Artificial intelligence can generate deceptively real-looking texts, images and videos, making it almost impossible to tell what is true and what is made up. Social bots and internet trolls are deliberately spreading false information on social media. The algorithms of the major platforms also filter what we see. They create filter bubbles that distort our view of the world.

All of this can lead to children and young people losing trust in reliable information. This in turn has a fundamental impact on learning processes at school, consumer behaviour, health behaviour and the formation of political opinions.

This makes it all the more important that we accompany pupils on their way to media literacy at an early stage. After all, only those who have learnt to critically question sources and information can distinguish between credible facts and interest-driven fiction. The ability to think critically is a key skill for children's lives in the digital world. As teachers, we endeavour to teach this skill at school. However, we are dependent on your support as parents.

When it comes to media literacy, blind trust is out of place

Filter bubbles, false information, AI manipulation - so how do we find our way to reliable knowledge in this thicket of facts, fiction and fakes? The key to finding our way in the digital world is to critically scrutinise content and sources. Instead of blindly trusting information, we must learn to approach it with scepticism, technical background knowledge and common sense. When researching on the internet , it is important to check the origin of information and recognise potential conflicts of interest. Who is behind the statements - experts or laypeople, scientists, journalists, commercial providers or lobbyists?

Critical scrutiny and the ability to analyse are essential in the digital public sphere in order to distinguish between authenticity and manipulation. This is how we arm ourselves against deception and fraud - and create the basis for a minimum level of trust in information.

Teach your child: Not everything online is true! Common sense is important.

We can train and strengthen these skills for dealing critically with media at any age. Even children can be taught not to take everything online at face value. Important media skills are taught at school. Adults can also continuously develop their critical thinking skills - through further training or simply by getting into the habit of scrutinising information more closely in everyday life.

Both parents and schools have a responsibility when it comes to teaching media skills and critical thinking. We need to give our children the tools they need to distinguish fact from fiction. Only then will they be prepared for the challenges of the digital age and be able to stand up to disinformation.

Here are five specific recommendations on what you can do as a parent:

1. Active dialogue: Talk to your child about the digital world they live in. Have conversations about algorithms, influencers and the power of the media. Ask interested questions.
2. Encourage critical thinking: Help your child develop critical thinking skills. Encourage them to ask questions, check sources and consider different perspectives before forming an opinion.
3. Use media together: Look at content together, discuss it and share your own thoughts. This promotes mutual understanding and strengthens media skills.
4. Use technology consciously: Teach your child how to use technology consciously and responsibly. This includes handling personal data, recognising misinformation and protecting themselves from potential dangers.
5. Be a role model: Be a role model by demonstrating media literacy yourself. Show them how to check information, think critically and protect themselves from deception. Teach your child: Not everything online is true! Common sense is important.

Being ready for the future

Ultimately, we all have a responsibility to take a more critical approach to the media and sharpen our skills for the digital age. Only a society of responsible people is resilient against manipulation and disinformation.

Media education and critical thinking are prerequisites for social participation and democratic engagement in times of social media and artificial intelligence. If parents and schools pull together, we can give the young generation guidance and prepare them for the challenges of the digital world in the best possible way.