How to Protect Our Tweens and Teens from False Messages
- Allan Shedlin
- Mar 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 6
Guest post by Jacqueline Toner, PhD
If you turn on the radio, talk to a colleague, or listen in to a conversation at the supermarket these days, it probably won’t be long before you hear a reference to whether this or that message is true. As a Dad, Granddad, or anyone concerned about kids, you may worry about how social media may mislead and harm young people and be motivated to take action to protect them.
Of course, it isn’t only kids that can make errors in assessing whether messages are true or false. The very attributes that make our brains efficient also make them subject to errors. Our glitchy brains prefer shortcuts and may pass over important details that might make us challenge ideas we encounter. They parse and group things in ways that are easier to process, but sometimes inaccurate. These efficiencies sometimes even distort what we think we see and hear. This leaves us vulnerable to believing things that aren’t true.
Not only that, but psychology research has demonstrated that we are more likely to believe the first thing we hear, sometimes disregarding more accurate corrections. When we initially get information about a topic, our brains simply accept it as part of processing that message. It takes extra effort to question what we hear and think it through and even more effort to explore it further. In other words, critical thinking takes work!
While adults have always worried about the impact of unhealthy and inaccurate messages on young people, the rise of social media has supercharged this kind of influence. The fast pace of social media makes us even more vulnerable to the kinds of errors to which we are naturally prone. Promoters of disinformation are also aware of the fallibility of human brains and sometimes tailor communications accordingly.
And it isn’t just young people. We are all likely to accept messages that are false, at times.
Research has shown that the most effective protection against believing misinformation or disinformation is "prebunking," a warning that false information is coming, who is presenting it, and why. Of course, you can’t anticipate all the falsehoods your kids will encounter. So, what can adults do to bolster kids defenses against believing things that aren’t true?
Research has shown that the most effective protection against believing misinformation or disinformation is "prebunking," a warning that false information is coming, who is presenting it, and why.
Understanding the kinds of errors to which human brains fall victim may help. For instance, research shows that we are all most influenced by people close to us or folks we look up to. Messages from social media and information from people we admire can easily be accepted as true. When a message comes from someone we respect, the easiest thing to do is accept it. Research also has demonstrated that an explanation that provides a cohesive narrative tends to be more believable. This is particularly true if it draws on a person’s prior knowledge and assumptions. Bodily sensations associated with emotions can also prime us to believe things, including inaccurate ones. For example, in one study, researchers found that the temperature of a room (chilly versus hot) can impact how concerned people report they are about global warming.
Greater awareness about what the science of psychology has discovered about common errors in judgement may help us all, kids and their grownups, to develop a healthy questioning stance. By understanding how we process information, we may all become more effective critical thinkers.
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Jacqueline Toner, PhD, is the author of nine best-selling, non-fiction books for kids and teens including, True or False: The Science of Perception, Misinformation and Disinformation. In her writing, she draws upon her more than 30 years as a psychologist working with children, teens, parents, and families. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have won awards, including a Mom’s Choice Award and a Children’s Choice Award nomination. All her books have been vetted and published by the American Psychological Association. When not writing, Jacqueline keeps very busy with her family, including her four grandchildren. A lover of teens, Jacqueline has volunteered and consulted with a teen leadership group in Baltimore for the past nine years. Read more about Jacqueline and her books at her website.
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