Parent – There’s so much misinformation on the internet, being shared on social media … how do I protect my kids from that?
Dr. B – That’s the $64 Million question.
Parent – You mean $64,000 don’t you?
Dr. B – Inflation.
Parent – Geez. So, answer my question. How do I protect them?
Dr. B – Encourage them to ask questions; ask for explanations.
Parent – Turn them into skeptics? Oh, that will make them popular.
Dr. B – They don’t have to be obnoxious.
Parent – Explain what you are suggesting.
Dr. B – First, let’s start with misinformation. Lots of stuff can sound good to begin with …
Parent (overlapping conversation) But doesn’t have a sound basis.
Dr. B – Exactly. Misinformation doesn’t usually stand up under serious questioning.
Parent – Nor do friendships.
Dr. B – Real friendships do. But that’s a different topic. (pause) If someone is promoting misinformation, they’ll probably struggle to answer a series of “why” questions that call upon them to explain rather than just espouse.
Parent – I’m just saying, kids who ask too many “why” questions are obnoxious.
Dr. B – No they aren’t. They just embarrass people who don’t know the answers to all the “why” questions.
Parent – So I need to teach my kids to ask one “why” question after another?
Dr. B – In a sense, yes. But they can do it from a place of genuine curiosity.
Parent – As in no-agenda-genuine?
Dr. B – Yeah. It requires one to drop the wish to prove someone wrong or convince them of something else … and just be curious.
Parent – If you say so.
Dr. B – Try to find out how that person came to believe what they are saying.
Parent – That sounds like subterfuge.
Dr. B – Not if it is genuine curiosity.
Parent – I’m back to my same old question: How do I help my kids learn to spot misinformation? And not be taken in?
Dr. B – Allow them to be curious. Honor their “why” questions. Admit when you don’t know and show them how you seek out the unknown answer. Show them how you find reliable sources.
Parent – Sounds like a recipe for questioning authority.
Dr. B – What’s wrong with that?
(pause)
Parent – So am I supposed to model this cross-examination process with my kids?
Dr. B – If you mean modeling genuine curiosity? Then yes.
Parent – That’s what I meant.
Dr. B – Asking your kids to explain or elaborate, out of genuine curiosity about them and their ideas …
Parent – (overlapping) Rather than having an agenda of persuading? Easier said than done.
Dr. B – I know. It’s hard to do. All we can do is try our best. Kids respond to genuine interest.
Parent – And what am I accomplishing?
Dr. B – Kids need to know you value their ideas. In the process, you are encouraging them to think more deeply about their ideas and communicate them.
Parent – So you do have an agenda.
Dr. B – It’s called parenting.
(pause)
Parent – Back to my original question. If my kids come across questionable stuff on the Internet, what do you suggest? I want a concrete answer.
Dr. B – Wikipedia has proven to be pretty objective and it has plenty of people fact checking it for accuracy.
Parent – At last. Some useful information.
Dr. B – Now who’s the obnoxious one?
