How to teach children to recognise fake news

Targeted fake news has always existed. They include the classic newspaper hoax, embellished autobiographies and inflammatory articles in agitational newspapers. However, it is only in the internet age that fake news is unfolding its full, defamatory effect. Social media ensure that it spreads at a tremendous speed. The creators of fake news can rely on the snowball effect, as their readers spread the news story further and further without thinking. It just has to be emotional enough: Fake news stirs things up, makes people angry and triggers fears.

«If you don't pass on this message, your mum will die»

Children and young people are also affected, even though they hardly read the newspapers these days. On the one hand, they are not unaware of the anxiety caused by their parents, but on the other, the lies also reach them through their networks.

You will be confronted with the most diverse forms of fake news: One cheeky lie in a WhatsApp group is enough to stir up the whole class.

Children also receive chain letters, which we adults probably remember best from our own childhood. Back then, our parents were aware of the appearance of such a letter because we had to ask them for 10 or 20 stamps.

While they were able to intervene protectively back then, modern chain letters bypass parents and reach children via WhatsApp. Like their paper predecessors, they operate with false messages: A creepy voice message threatens the death of a pet or even a parent if the message is not forwarded.

There is a rumour among second-graders that a paedophile is watching them in the «Talking Angela» app.
paedophile is watching them.

The phenomenon is not new: back in early 2014, a terrifying tale was doing the rounds: a paedophile was watching children through the eyes of the cat lady in the chat app «Talking Angela».

There were even reports that a girl had been lured into a trap and killed by him. All made up, as it turned out afterwards. The manufacturer didn't seem to be bothered by all the fuss, the app was downloaded millions of times - by children who wanted to know what it was all about.

Fake news like this makes children very uncomfortable. They can only get rid of it if we emphasise to them that they can always turn to us as a trustworthy point of contact if they are concerned about scary content.

Fake news was also the story of the German-Russian girl in Berlin who triggered a German-Russian national crisis by claiming to have been abducted and raped. In reality, the girl had been staying with a friend. This case alone shows how difficult it is to react rationally and calmly to emotional issues such as the abduction and sexual abuse of minors.

Fake news is a dripping poison that works with many tricks ...

• Fake News servieren Meinungen als Fakten oder als scheinbar seriöse Nachrichten.
• Fake News tischen vollkommen unwahre Vorfälle als Tatsachenbericht auf.
• Fake News nutzen ausgedachte Zahlen, um die angebliche «Authentizität» zu unterstreichen.
• Fake News arbeiten mit frei erfundenen Zitaten.
• Fake News reissen Aussagen aus dem Zusammenhang, was die zitierte Person in die Situation bringt, sich rechtfertigen zu müssen.
• Fake News bringen Menschen durch dreiste Lügen und Schmähungen in Verruf, etwa dass Hillary Clinton einen Pornoring betrieben haben soll.
• Fake News arbeiten oft mit Sündenböcken und zielen auf religiöse Minderheiten oder geflüchtete Menschen, die sich kaum wehren können, weil sie keine Lobby haben.
• Fake News konzentrieren sich immer auf das ganz Einfache: Hass, Voyeurismus oder Sex.
• Fake News profitieren davon, dass schlechte Nachrichten öfter geteilt werden.

Even if all lies are publicly refuted - something always sticks. The American President Donald Trump shows how it's done: If a lie is repeated often enough, many people will eventually believe it to be the truth.

And the daily press is caught in a dilemma: the attempt to expose a statement as a lie always contributes to its dissemination. Populists know these tricks and use them to win elections.

Is it the press that is lying?

Another aspect of the problem is the term «lying press», which unfortunately complicates the issue in discussions with children. With this slur, political forces that do not even shy away from crude conspiracy theories call the credibility of journalistic products into question across the board.

We adults should lead the way as role models.

The opposite is true: a free press creates publicity and is one of the most important characteristics of a democracy. Of course, sometimes editors make the decision to publish before all the facts are on the table.

However, the reason lies with us, the readers. When it comes to disasters, speed and sensationalism often take precedence over accuracy - instead of condemning the media, we should rather question our media consumption behaviour.

If we want children to handle media competently, we adults must lead the way as role models. This doesn't just apply to fake news, it also applies to dealing with real news. After all, it can also scare children.