Fake News and Critical Thinking Online

Online Safety & Wellness Intermediate 2 weeks 8 lessons 8 modules

Welcome to Fake News and Critical Thinking Online! Every day, millions of stories, images, and videos are shared on the internet. Some are true and helpful, but some are completely made up or twisted to trick you. In this course, you will become a super-smart detective who can spot fake news, check if stories are real, and think critically about everything you see online. These skills will make you one of the wisest people on the internet!

Who is this for: Kids, teens, and adults learning to navigate online misinformation

What You'll Learn

Understand the motivations behind why fake news is created and spread online
Identify the telltale signs of fake or misleading headlines before clicking on them
Use simple source-checking techniques to verify whether online information is true
Recognize that photos and videos can be edited, manipulated, or taken out of context
Spot clickbait tactics and resist the urge to click on sensational or misleading content
Understand how echo chambers and filter bubbles limit the information you see online
Use kid-friendly fact-checking tools and strategies to verify claims independently

Course Modules (8)

Module 1: Why Do People Share Fake News? (13 minutes)

Discover the surprising reasons why fake news exists and spreads so quickly, from making money through clicks to influencing what people think and believe.

Many fake news creators make money every time someone clicks on their story, which is why they make headlines so tempting
Some fake news is created to make people angry or scared because strong emotions make people share without thinking
People often share fake news without realizing it is fake because they trust the person who shared it with them
Fake news spreads six times faster than true news on social media because it is designed to be more exciting and shocking

Module 2: Spotting Fake Headlines (14 minutes)

Learn the red flags that give away fake or misleading headlines, including all-caps text, extreme claims, and emotional language designed to make you click before you think.

Fake headlines often use ALL CAPS, lots of exclamation marks, and extreme words like 'SHOCKING' or 'YOU WON'T BELIEVE'
If a headline makes a claim that sounds too amazing, too scary, or too good to be true, it probably is not true
Real news headlines tell you what happened clearly without trying to manipulate your emotions
Reading past the headline and into the actual article is one of the easiest ways to catch fake news

Module 3: Checking Sources: Is This Real? (15 minutes)

Learn simple, practical ways to check whether a story or claim you found online comes from a trustworthy source, including the 'SIFT' method that real fact-checkers use.

A trustworthy source is one that has a good reputation, shows who wrote the story, and backs up claims with evidence
The SIFT method stands for Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, and Trace claims — it works for any story
If only one website is reporting a big story and no other news outlets are covering it, that is a major red flag
Checking who created a website or article (look for 'About Us' pages) helps you judge if they are trustworthy

Module 4: Photos and Videos Can Lie (14 minutes)

Discover how images and videos can be faked, edited, or taken out of context to trick people, and learn simple ways to check if visual content is real.

Photos can be edited using software to add, remove, or change things — and the fakes are getting harder and harder to spot
Old photos and videos are sometimes shared with new, false descriptions to make people think something is happening that is not
Reverse image search lets you find the original source of a photo to see if it has been taken out of context
AI-generated images and deepfake videos can create realistic-looking content of events that never happened

Module 5: Clickbait: Don't Take the Bait (13 minutes)

Learn what clickbait is, why it is everywhere, and how to resist the urge to click on sensational, misleading content that wastes your time and fills your head with junk.

Clickbait is content designed to make you curious enough to click, even if the actual story is boring, misleading, or completely different from what the title promised
Phrases like 'You won't believe,' 'This one trick,' and 'What happens next will shock you' are classic clickbait signs
Every click on clickbait trains the algorithm to show you more low-quality content, creating a junk-content cycle
Resisting clickbait saves you time, protects your attention, and keeps your online experience higher quality

Module 6: Echo Chambers and Filter Bubbles (14 minutes)

Understand how algorithms create invisible bubbles around you that only show you information you already agree with, and why this is a problem for understanding the full picture.

Algorithms track what you click, like, and watch, then show you more of the same — creating a filter bubble around you
An echo chamber is when you only hear opinions that match your own, making you think everyone agrees with you
Filter bubbles make it hard to understand other people's perspectives because you never see different viewpoints
You can pop your bubble by following diverse sources, looking up different viewpoints on purpose, and being curious about ideas that are new to you

Module 7: Fact-Checking Tools (13 minutes)

Get hands-on with real fact-checking tools and websites that can help you quickly verify claims, stories, and images you encounter online.

Kid-friendly fact-checking websites like Snopes, FactCheck.org, and PolitiFact can quickly tell you if a popular story is true or false
Google's 'About this result' feature gives you background information about websites right from the search results page
Lateral reading means opening new tabs to check what other reliable sources say about the same claim, instead of just reading the one article
Building a habit of checking facts before sharing means you will never accidentally spread misinformation

Module 8: Being a Critical Thinker Online (12 minutes)

Bring together all your new skills and commit to being a critical thinker every time you go online, questioning what you see, checking before you share, and helping others do the same.

A critical thinker asks questions like 'Who made this?', 'Why did they make it?', 'Is there evidence?', and 'What might be missing?'
Slowing down for just thirty seconds before sharing something online can prevent the spread of misinformation
Teaching others what you have learned about fake news multiplies your positive impact on the world
Critical thinking is a skill that gets stronger the more you practice it — and it helps in every area of life, not just online

Start This Course Free

Interactive slides, voice narration, quizzes, and certificates. No credit card needed.

Start Learning Now