Do you know what’s the worst thing about a situation such as the ongoing coronavirus outbreak? It’s not the number of people that have been affected by this virus? It’s not even the number of people who are dead because of it? It’s the number of fake news that is being spread by some malicious people/organizations in a bid to earn profits out of this misery. That’s what we need to fight against more than we have to fight against the virus itself.
What is Coronavirus Fake News?
Thanks to the rise of technology and with so many options available, it’s now easier than ever to share information with others. Most people don’t think twice before sharing a post, news or update with their followers/friends on social media, WhatsApp, etc. They don’t even bother to check the credibility of the source or whether the news is actually true before forwarding it to someone else. And this is how fake news spread.
As the world is suffering from the coronavirus outbreak, a lot of false and fake news is being circulated on social media and even by some news channels. These are news stories that generally spread misinformation about the virus or situation and do not originate from credible sources. These may include wrong information about the outbreak, virus spread, treatment, precautions, measures being taken by the authorities, among other things.
Fake news about corona may originate from unknown sources and usually aim to generate panic among the masses, which is why they should not be shared without checking the credibility.
Children, both kids and teens, are unknowingly playing a major role in this spread of coronavirus fake news. Most of the kids do not think twice before sharing a news report, especially when asked by a friend or someone else they trust. Also, when constantly open to fake news, kids may tend to develop a wrong perspective of the virus or remain misinformed about the precautions to follow to avoid getting infected.
Now, it’s understandable that kids may not have sufficient resources or the intellect to determine whether a news/article they are sharing is genuine, which is why it’s the responsibility of parents to have control over what their kids are seeing and/or sharing on the internet.
How to keep your kids safe from exposure to coronavirus fake news
As a parent, you’re responsible for what your kids do. So, it’s only you who can prevent your kids from seeing and/or spreading fake news on COVID-19. Here’s how.
Limit your kids’ exposure to the internet
The best thing you can do, right now, to avoid your kids’ exposure to fake news on Coronavirus is to limit their access to the internet and social media apps like Twitter and WhatsApp.
Most of the kids get such information from social media sites, where fake news spread like fire. So, by simply limiting your kids’ exposure to these social sites and apps, you can effectively limit their chances of getting exposed to fake corona news.
Just set up the time limits when your kids can access the internet and specify the websites or apps they can use. Also, if your kids want to use apps like Twitter and WhatsApp, make sure they are not following or are a member of any group/person who is known to spread such rumours.
Control what your kids see on their phone
The second thing you can do is use a Parental Control app like the Titan’s Family Security app to place proper restrictions on what your kids can access online. You can use the app to track what your kids are doing on WhatsApp, Twitter and other social media apps/websites and what type of content they are seeing or sharing. Also, you can block the unwanted apps and contacts on your kids’ devices.
