In an interview with Fox News, Dr. Nancy explains hoaxes online and what you can do about them.
Some factors get in the way of children feeling safe when they hear news or see things on the Internet that aren’t real. Why?
Children don’t distinguish fantasy from reality. When their big brother tells them that the boogeyman is out to get them, or that there is a tooth fairy, they take it at face value, so exposure to a myth about an image can really take hold in a child’s mind. It is unhealthy for children to be exposed to such frightful ideas that can stay with them for a period of time, challenging their feelings of safety. This phenomenon even occurs with adults who watch way too many crime shows; they feel less safe than those who don’t and may avoid venturing out due to these feelings.
How do children cope?
Children may make up stories of their own, especially about things they don’t understand. Storytelling among children is a part of trying to understanding the world. When they see a frightening image they start to tell themselves things about it to help them make sense of it.
They lack judgment about what is the best and safest social behavior all the way through adolescence. In general, people often report that they did things in their adolescence that they can’t believe they did, either because they were too risky or because they just involved poor judgment. So a teen who sees a hoax on the Internet can expose others to the hoax without understanding the impact or harm that it can do.
What can parents do?
If parents see a change in their child’s behavior, they should begin to examine what is going on at school, with friends and on their technology to get a handle on what they may be experiencing. Symptoms of problems can include an exaggerated startle response suggesting hypervigilance, difficulty sleeping, changes in mood or changing reactions to the use of media.
Prevention involves a GREAT DEAL of oversight and responsibility over what children see on any device. Parents should discuss and set rules before allowing tech use. While kids can’t differentiate reality from fantasy at a young age, parents can and need to do so.
Then the subject of media comes up. First, let me say that credible media is the cornerstone of a good society and that the term “fake news” is misleading because there is so much difficulty with the idea of lumping all news into fake news. It suggests that anything heard on the media should be disregarded which is a fallacy. But the Internet is a place where so much fake news can be spread quickly and broadly and so the media has the same responsibility they have always had, to check their sources, don’t speculate and state fact over opinion. Even facts can be reported selectively around a news story and create an illusion of the impact of events. In my book GET REEL: Produce Your Own Life, I write a chapter about the news and go into detail about this factor.
What’s next?
Parents are increasingly feeling surprised or caught off guard by what is being put in front of their kids. Whether the stories are real or not, parents may or may not know exactly what their kids are absorbing through these stories.
1. So parents must talk to their children about not believing everything they read online. Have an age-appropriate talk and help your kids understand why you might take advantage of parental settings built into many products and services. Most web browsers can block certain sites, restrict what children see and report what sites a child visited. Smartphones and tablets can limit screen time and access to apps. These options are free so there is no need for additional paid services.
2. Another option is to download apps from shows or channels directly rather than going through streaming services. Using YouTube. PBS, Peppa Pig, Nick Jr. and other popular services include pre-screened videos deemed appropriate for kids.
3. And though it may seem contradictory, going online to research news, rumors and hoaxes could also help. Fake news and hoaxes can be debunked fairly quickly after people question it, before spreading it. Jones said. Give weight to fact-checking sites like Snopes.com.
4. View all media consciously by sitting back and observing what is presented.
For more on conscious media viewing available at GET REEL: Produce Your Own Life.
For the original article go to: https://www.foxnews.com/tech/momo-may-be-dead-but-experts-say-avoiding-the-next-hoax-is-up-to-us