For some time now, social networks have become another source for obtaining current information. In fact, in the case of the youngest, it is even the main means by which they are aware of the events that are happening in the world.
This entails certain dangers, since social networks contain not only content from the media and professional journalists, but also from any user who publishes without criteria. This exposes young people to misinformation and sensationalism, as well as gory images of armed conflicts, such as the Ukrainian war or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Psychologist Pamela B. Rutledge explains in an article published in Psychology Today that children lack the fundamental strategic skills to understand the digital environment. “They are attacked with very sensational misinformation designed to avoid censorship,” he asserts, adding that “TikTok's algorithms offer content based on popularity, which increases the possibility that the most horrendous content (and therefore the most seen) reach the top.” Given this situation, the expert recommends seven digital literacy strategies that will help young people and children handle worrying content in the media.
