With AI-generated content, deepfakes, and online scams becoming more convincing, it’s getting harder to tell what’s real and what’s not. Children today aren’t just growing up with more information — they’re also surrounded by misinformation, much of it designed to look credible.

Whether it’s a fake quote going viral or a scam disguised as a breaking news alert, young people need help developing the skills to question what they see and hear. 

Here are some simple ways to help your child think critically about what they see and share online.

#1 Stay alert.

Not all fake content is easy to spot. These days, content can be edited, taken out of context, or generated by AI to support false claims. 

The Singapore government has shared a list of tips for spotting digitally altered content. Go through it with your child and look up examples of suspicious content together.

#2 Use a checklist.

Not all questionable content is completely fake. Some sources may be biased, incomplete, or simply unreliable. 

Project Look Sharp, a media literacy initiative from the US, offers a downloadable checklist with key questions to help your child assess whether a piece of content is worth trusting. These include:

• Authority: who wrote or sponsored this? 
• Accuracy: is this information reliable? 
• Objectivity: is there persuasion or advertising involved?
• Currency: how current is this information?
• Coverage: is the content superficial or in-depth? 

#3 Track the information flow.

If your child shares something they've seen online — a surprising fact, a viral post, or a forwarded video — take a moment to ask where it came from. Was it sent by a friend? Posted on a social media account? Try to trace the content back to its original source together.

Encourage your child to look for a name, website, or platform behind the content, and check whether it's known to be credible. If the source is unclear or anonymous, that’s a red flag. 

Learning to ask “Who made this, and why?” is a powerful habit that helps children become more thoughtful and responsible online.

#4 Know whom to trust.

It helps to have a few reliable news sources that your child can return to. These should be sources that are age-appropriate, balanced, and fact-checked. Common Sense Media, a respected nonprofit that reviews media and tech for families, has a list of kid-friendly news sites to explore.

Go over the list with your child and talk about why certain news sources can be trusted. For example, they cite their sources, avoid sensational headlines, and correct their mistakes. Bookmark a few favourites together, and remind your child that even trusted news sources should be read with curiosity and care.

#5 Reinforce the value of restraint.

Just because something is shareable doesn’t mean it should be shared. 

Teach your child to pause and think before sharing or forwarding a post. A good rule of thumb: If you’re not sure it’s true — or if it feels designed to provoke — don’t share it.

Explain that sharing information, even casually, carries responsibility. Encourage your child to think about whether the content is helpful, respectful, or constructive. If it’s misleading, harmful, or just meant to get attention, it’s better left unshared.

You can also work together to set personal “sharing rules,” such as only sharing content from sources you trust, avoiding posts that attack others, and taking time to fact-check before reposting. These habits help kids to build a stronger sense of digital responsibility and self-awareness.