Where does fake news come from? Fake people, of course! Spot the Troll is an 8-question quiz that tests how well you can spot fake social media accounts. These are accounts that pretend to be run by real people, but are really run by organizations that try to sway people’s opinions. This quiz was a real eye-opener, and it made me wonder: how many troll accounts out there are aimed at appealing to kids, and how do they try to sway kids’ actions?
The good news is, we can teach kids to think critically about their online experiences. Here’s a set of lesson plans that can be adapted for home use. They focus on learning to evaluate online information, safeguard their privacy, and participate constructively online, and they’re divided by age group.