Our top tips for spotting fake information are:
- Look for clues that don't look right.
- Look at the username to see if it is not a usual name.
- If you find news, don't just read the headline, read the whole information to spot misinformation.
- check information on different websites to see if it is fake.
- It might have something that is incorrect - you can report this to the internet so they can fact check it.
- If it doesn't come up on different websites, it may be fake information.
- Don't believe information that you know is fake e.g. that chocolate is healthy when you know it scientifically is not.
- Check the date of the information, it could be out of date information.
- Think about the source - if someone you don't know is trying to tell you information, there's a chance it could be fake.
Our top tips for what to do when you see something online that you don't like are:
- Tell your parent/trust adult because it may not be safe.
- You can either leave the website or video.
- Put your device to sleep until an adult can look at the unsafe content.
- If it is not unsafe but you don't like it, you can ignore it.
- An adult can help if you are unsure how to block or report someone.
- Don't accept friends online if you don't know them in real life - they may not be a safe friend.
Consent online means to have permission online such as having permission to watch videos. Consent means to have permission for things and giving permission for your information/pictures and videos to be used. Consent is different online and in real life. Some people get angry if you post a picture of them online without their permission. If you parents say you don't have permission to post information about yourself, you can't do it even if the information is not 'private'. They are in charge of your online consent while you are young.
You can't be quiet if someone does not respect your permissions. You should tell an adult as soon as possible and they will try to get the information or pictures taken down as quickly as they can. There is a simple way to remember what consent online means - the letters spell out FRIES.
F - freely given
R - reversible
I - informed
E - enthusiastic
S - specific
As a parent, consent online is about empowering your child to take responsibility about decisions they make online, not to mention offline. When you like, comment on or share content online, you are saying yes to giving away personal information with your username. Sometimes people don't ask for permission like when you are a child and parent posts a photo of you on Facebook without your permission. Consent is where you say YES and have the confidence to say NO. If you don't have permission to post, DON'T. Even though most people think getting consent online costs money, it doesn't and is completely free of charge. Digital consent also includes ensuring that children have the right to decide if they allow their content to be put online by someone else. Consent online is information that is shared with who you trust and on your own terms. Over 44% of young people said someone has sent them a screenshot of private conversations they have had with other people, which is a breech of privacy. This is unkind and should not be done.
The definition of clickbait is something that draws you in to fake things. It can be used by headings being fake or photographs to draw you in. The videos could be funny or make people sad - as long as it misleads you into reading/watching the content then it is clickbait. An example might be a video that says 'I brought back dinosaurs, watch here!' Clickbait is often used to attract customers to visit their website or page by misleading. The information is often not true or can have bits of truth in it. For example, if a video says you will win £1,000 for watching the video, it will trick you into watching it without giving you any reward at the end. People might do this because they want more views on their videos to get money from the company e.g. Youtube.