In 2014, a young girl named Morgan Geyser stabbed a classmate nearly twenty times. She did it because an online figure called Slenderman told her to. This is troubling. Children are having trouble distinguishing fact from fiction on the internet. Recently young children across the world were encountering a creepy figure called Momo who was encouraging them to harm or even kill themselves. As a former middle and high school teacher I noticed this disturbing trend. But how do we teach kids to recognize what is real and what isn’t?
Unfortunately the line of reality is blurred and not easy for children and young adults to see. The need to address this problem is apparent but it is unclear how to go about doing this and how young it should be introduced. The technology is advancing daily, as well. The ability to create simulated videos of real people saying things that they never said is a terrifying idea.
My idea to combat this, even if only a little, is to educate children to think critically and always inquire into the source of material they find online. Healthy skepticism and taking things with a grain of salt can help keep many out of sticky situations. Have an idea? Comment below!