Teaching Children/Teens to be Media Savvy
The Internet is an ever-changing source of information. Inevitably, some of the links below will stop working. We will do our best to keep links current and remove broken links.
Our Advice- Teach kids NOT to click on advertising.
- Teach kids NEVER to click on notices or popups telling them they have won something.
- Teach children NEVER to fill out forms or request for information without a parent's or guardian's permission and assistance. For teens, teach them to use "throwaway" email addresses and never to use personal information.
- Teach kids that it is extremely easy to deceive others through media (online and otherwise) so people and things are not always what they appear to be. A simple example in the advertising industry is illustrated in a YouTube video called Deception and it's parody Slob Evolution.
- Teach kids to be wary of messages from someone trying to contact them or ads saying that someone has a crush on them or wants to meet them. The "giveaway" is that such generic bogus messages, which come in many different forms and delivery methods, rarely have the child's/teen's name in them. They contain a username or, more frequently, no name at all.
- Teach kids to be skeptical online and question what they see and hear.
- Know that just because a web site appears to be for children doesn't mean it is safe or appropriate. Parents should visit sites their children would like to use.
| Source | Link Info |
|---|---|
| YouTube Video | A good example how kids are easily tricked online |
| YouTube Video | Good Passwords, Bad Passwords |
| Resource | LESSON PLAN: Online Marketing to Kids - Strategies and Techniques |
| Resource | Internet Safety Rules Parents Should Use |
| Resource | Educate Your Child About Marketing & Manipulation - AdMongo Game |
| Resource | Video from CommonSenseMedia.com Re: Rules for kids |
| Resource | OnGuardOnline.gov has lots of resources to help kids and parents became media savvy including interactive quizzes. |
| Resource | Media Education Foundation - Also has lots of links to other resources. |
| Resource | New Mexico Media Literacy Project |
| Resource | Don't Buy it! Get Media Smart - from PBSKids.org |
| Resource | Action Coalition for Media Education - Raising Media Savvy Kids |
| Resource | Common Sense Media - Advice for parents. |
| Resource | The Center for Media Literacy |
| Resource | JustThink.org - "Just Think teaches young people to lead healthy, responsible, independent lives in a culture highly impacted by media." |
| Resource | Media Awareness Network - An excellent resource! |
| Software | Software to encourage Self-Control |
| Blog | Negotiating Technology with Your Child |
| Blog | Shaping Youth - a forum about media marketing and influences on kids |
| Article | Media Savvy Kids - For students inundated by images, critical thinking skills help sort fact from fiction [December, 2004 - still relevant!] |
Search Site
