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Everyone has a right to their opinion and we should all respect that, even when you do not agree.

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Social media causes many people to think of themselves as celebrities online, when their actual lives are very different. I recently read an article about young people who were staging photos to appear they are in private jets.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-instagrammers-are-faking-the-luxury-of-a-private-jet-for-just-dollar64-an-hour

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teaching students media literacy and how to identify reputable news sources 

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teaching students media literacy and how to identify reputable news sources 

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J Robbins

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This story is part of Elections 2020, CNET's coverage of the run-up to voting in November.

On Facebook, Twitter and its own website, a group called claimed to be a global news organization with a mission to expose corruption. Its supposed purpose was to tell stories that had been hidden from the public.

Turns out PeaceData was concealing the truth about its own story. In September, Facebook and Twitter said they had uncovered ties between PeaceData and the Internet Research Agency, the notorious Russian troll farm that sought to sow discord among Americans during the 2016 US elections. The social networks quickly pulled the group's accounts, some of which appeared to use artificial intelligence to generate fake profile pictures.

For more like this

Though PeaceData never gained a large following, the elaborate disinformation campaign is a potent reminder of how easy it is to conceal identities and motives on social media. Studies show that Americans have trouble separating fact from fiction -- look at how many people have been hoodwinked by the bogus QAnon conspiracy theory -- especially online. Lawmakers, activists and even employees have pressured social networks to do more to combat misinformation, particularly ahead of the US elections.

On Wednesday, the debate over online misinformation flared up again when Facebook and Twitter limited the spread of a New York Post story that included unverified allegations about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's son, Hunter. Biden's campaign challenged the accuracy of the report, which included information from emails reportedly taken from a computer hard drive. Many observers worried that hackers might have leaked the information to meddle in the November election. Twitter said the story violated rules against sharing hacked materials. Facebook referred the story to third-party fact-checkers for review. The moves by the two social networks proved controversial, praised by some experts and criticized by some politicians.

Online misinformation and conspiracy theories are such big concerns that the House Intelligence Committee held a virtual hearing on the topic Thursday.

"My initial advice to media consumers is to always be on guard when interacting with content and users on social media," Jack Delaney, who was duped into writing for PeaceData, said in an article published in The Guardian. "I would have never guessed I would be caught up in a dubious media campaign."

Delaney's advice is worth bearing in mind. About 18% of US adults say they get their political news primarily from social media, according to a survey released this year by the Pew Research Center. Roughly 48% of US adults 18 to 29 years old say social media is the most common way they get political and election news.

People who relied more heavily on social media for news were more likely to get facts about politics and current events wrong compared to those who mostly use other sources such as print media and news websites. As part of the study, the Pew Research Center quizzed US adults about topics such as which party had the majority in the US Senate, the unemployment rate and tariffs during President Donald Trump's presidency.

Joel Breakstone co-authored a 2019 Stanford History Education Group study that showed high school students also lacked the skills to judge the credibility of online information. Breakstone, who leads the education group, said strategies such as examining whether a website is professional looking and studying its address aren't always effective in identifying credible sources of information. Social media only "exacerbates the problem" because posts that flow through someone's feed look the same.

"Suddenly, it can be more difficult to distinguish who is behind that information, the trustworthiness of it and the process that went into producing content," Breakstone said. "The distinction between different kinds of sources blurs as well."

Erin McNeill, president and founder of Media Literacy Now, said social media users should be aware of their emotions.

"That's one of the psychological tricks that is used to get people to share misinformation and disinformation," she said. "When somebody's reading something and they get angry or upset, that seems like a key motivator to share before you really investigate."

PeaceData published political news stories about a number of countries, including the US, and was able to trick freelance journalists into writing articles for the site. One article said the US was an "unreliable partner for global organizations." Another stated that Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, and Kamala Harris, his vice presidential pick, demonstrate "how the Western Left will give in to Right-Wing populism."

PeaceData denied allegations it had ties to Russia and didn't respond to a request for further comment. Delaney declined to comment. The group said in a message on its website that it's shutting down and accused social networks and news sites of attempting to "silence free speech." The website no longer contains any articles. The message is accompanied by a cartoon featuring the CEOs of Facebook, Amazon and Twitter with their heads in a guillotine under baskets bearing the label "toxic waste."

Consuming news on social media

Young voters say they are wary about the political news they see on social media. Still, it's tough to stay away from those sites because they're easy and quick ways to read content from different sources.

About 34% of adults ages 18 to 29 surveyed last year by Pew reported getting their political news from Facebook in a one-week period, compared to 25% of adults overall. Google-owned YouTube, Twitter, Reddit and Facebook-owned Instagram were other popular sites used by this age group to consume political news.

About 54% of Americans think social media is responsible for a great deal of misinformation while about 58% believe that President Donald Trump is spreading a great deal of misinformation, according to a survey conducted in September by Gallup and the Knight Foundation. Social networks have labeled some of Trump's tweets that contain false information about mail-in voting and other topics.

Quentin Wathum-Ocama, vice president of the Young Democrats of America, said that he sees links to political stories from his friends on Facebook or political videos on TikTok. The 29-year-old also uses Twitter where news can break before it's even published on a website. Friends and family members also offer political opinions on social media, he said.

Wathum-Ocama, who lives in Minnesota, said he's occasionally deleted some of his own social media posts after discovering they contained false or exaggerated information. He's seen edited videos shared on his social media feed that don't contain context. Content tied to QAnon has also popped up on social networks.

"Even though I would like to say that I'm a really highly informed person, I am dependent on something that can be really easily manipulated, corrupted or altered," he said.

Chelsea Howell, secretary for the Texas Young Republicans, said she's seen fake social media profiles posing as news outlets such as Fox News or CNN. She uses Facebook, Twitter and the conservative social network Parler, and browses news sites and reads her local newspaper.

The 29-year-old also posts political content herself, sharing TikTok videos that demonstrate her support for Trump. When she sees a political news story, Howell said she does her own research using the search engine DuckDuckGo, which she prefers to Google because of privacy concerns. Facebook sends some posts to third-party fact-checkers, but Howell said she'd rather come to her own conclusions.

"I've totally disagreed with Facebook a few times on their fact-checking," she said. "I feel that they fact-check a lot of the right-wing people a lot more than they do to the left wing."

Howell said she will also read political news from left-leaning websites to see what the other side is saying and has friends who support Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

"We need to find common ground to find real solutions for what's really going on in this country," she said.

Separating fact from fiction

Social media sites are trying to point users to more authoritative sources. Facebook, Twitter and TikTok all launched online hubs for voting and election information. YouTube has directed people to mail-in voting information from the Bipartisan Policy Center, a bipartisan think tank. and also said they will label posts from US presidential candidates who declare victory before the votes are counted, along with other steps to curb the spread of misinformation.

Facebook has tips for spotting fake news, which include being skeptical of headlines, closely examining the link and checking other reports. The company didn't respond to a request for comment.

Twitter outlined various steps it's taking to safeguard the election. The company said it added more context to trending topics on the site and directs users to trustworthy sources when they search for key terms related to voter registration.

Social networks have also been tweaking their rules ahead of the election. On Thursday, Twitter said it would prohibit hacked materials only if they were shared directly by hackers or those working with them. And Facebook has ramped up its effort to remove QAnon content.

Understanding the context behind videos and images are important too. The Stanford History Education Group concluded the digital literacy skills of high school students were "troubling" after testing 3,446 students from June 2018 to May 2019.

In one example, students saw a video on Facebook of poll workers secretly stuffing ballots into bins. The caption in the video says the clips were from the 2016 Democratic primary elections in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Arizona. The user "I on Flicks," who shared the video, states in a post "Have you ever noticed that the ONLY people caught committing voter fraud are Democrats?"

Students were asked if this video was strong evidence of voter fraud during the 2016 Democratic primaries. About 52% of students responded that it was. The video clips actually showed voter fraud in Russia.

"Most people have not learned effective strategies for evaluating online content," Breakstone said. "Young people may appear to be very fast at navigating digital devices but they are not nearly as skilled at making sense of the information that they yield, which is reflective of the population at large as far as we can tell."

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Want to learn about Trump or Biden? Maybe stay away from Facebook and Twitter

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This story is part of Elections 2020, CNET's coverage of the run-up to voting in November. On Facebook, Twitter and its own website, a group called claimed to be a global news organization with a mission to expose corruption. Its supposed purpose was to tell stories that had been hidden from the public.

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Muriel Zwick

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When talking with parents about online safety, it seems as if everyone wants to know what button to push or what software to buy to ensure their child never sees porn, never talks to strangers online, and never posts provocative pictures. So let me say this from the get-go: there is nothing you or any other parent can do to guarantee your child will never do anything potentially dangerous online. There are, however, steps parents can take to drastically reduce the probability that a child will develop problematic internet behaviors.

In general, your goal should be to first focus on becoming a reduced-tech family. Putting more emphasis on the real world and less emphasis on the digital realm can help kids and teens put their value and energy into their real lives. It will lead to healthy use of the web-as a tool to connect with others and to learn about the world on an as-needed basis-instead of constantly trolling the cyber-sphere searching for the next thrill.

Here are ten steps to help you and your family establish rules and practices for online safety.

1. Get to Know the Technology, Apps, and Websites Your Child Uses

Many parents I speak with don't know how to work apps, navigate a laptop, or turn on the Xbox. Many applications that parents may be concerned with contain parental control features. Search YouTube for videos on how to use these features. For example, search for "Xbox parental controls" if your child has an Xbox.

Spend some time getting comfortable with the technology your child is using. You can check out this App Guide for Parents to fill you in on all the latest apps and how they work.

Lastly, learn all about teens' use of social media sites and other online behaviors. Hint: Facebook is old news.

2. Use Existing Privacy Settings

Check the privacy and parental settings on all of your child's devices-desktop computers, laptops, phones, tablets, game consoles-and use them. Super savvy teens can bypass these if they work hard enough, but younger kids can't. And even older kids may be deterred or at least slowed down by them.

3. Filter and Monitor the Content Your Child Sees

Parents will tell me that they talked to their child about the internet, so they don't need to install monitoring software. Wrong! No matter how much you trust your child, it is essential to install software that can monitor computers and phones (examples include Bark and Qustodio).

Of course, there are ways for your child to get around these, so you need to continually check the devices and re-install the software as needed. Remember to be honest about your monitoring. Secretly recording a kid's internet usage will likely do more harm to the relationship than good for the child.

4. Talk to Your Kids About Digital Citizenship

It's important for your kids to know that everything online is permanent. Everyone can see their likes and favorites as well as their comments on other photos, not to mention their own photos and videos.

This permanency makes it important to consider your online reputation. Teens can start building a positive reputation online using LinkedIn and keeping all other social media profiles completely private. Most people keep their Twitter and Instagram profiles public, and college admission committees will search for applicants online and see those profiles. Encourage teens not to post sexy or wild photos of themselves, or at least not as a profile pic.

5. Limit Your Child's Technology Use

Try to limit tech and screen time by providing windows of time for when it is allowed and when it is not. You can also try a tech curfew, such as no internet after 7 or 8 p.m. Some families have instituted rules banning tablet or phone usage from 5-7 p.m., after which they allow a 30-minute window for responding to emails, messages, and texts, before having all devices turned off again at 7:30.

There is also parental control software that can help enforce tech curfews. These programs can track time spent on Netflix, Facebook, and games.

If your child uses certain applications for schoolwork, such as Microsoft Word or Excel, you can track those as well, allowing you to monitor time spent on the computer doing recreational activities versus homework activities.

Also, be aware that your teens may be staying up all night on electronics while their parents think they're asleep. If this is the case in your home, you might have to disable your wifi at night, or you may need to confiscate your child's phone at bedtime.

6. Keep Internet Devices in Public Areas of Your Home

It's easy to sneak a peek at porn when at a friend's house or even in your living room. But, it is hard to watch hours of porn every day or to chat with a pedophile online if the only available devices are in the living room or den.

So it's a good idea to forbid laptops, tablets, or phones in bedrooms or bathrooms. They are not private devices, so they do not belong in private rooms. Try to have a "home" for all your devices, such as a basket or cabinet (and consider locking them away if need be). This sends the message that these devices don't belong to your child-they belong to you, the parent, and you are allowing your child to use the device as long as it's used responsibly.

7. Have Your Child Sign a Technology Behavior Contract

One way to get your children to think about their online behavior is to have them sign a technology behavior contract agreeing to the digital-behavior rules you set and outlining consequences if the agreement is broken.

Teach your child that digital behavior should be thought of as public behavior. If you wouldn't do something in public, "in real life," you probably shouldn't be doing it online. Surprisingly, I've found that little kids understand this better than big kids, who are more likely to rationalize their bad behavior.

Related Content: How to Give Kids Consequences That Work

8. Gradually Build Your Child's Online Autonomy

Your goal as a parent is to build autonomy within your child in almost every area: finances, emotions, social bonds, chores, and so much more. You want your child to be able to take care of himself or herself.

The same is true for his or her cyber-self. Trying to block or monitor everything or eliminate technology completely isn't going to help your children regulate their digital behavior once they leave your home.

That said, kids under 14 don't have the ability (developmentally) to regulate themselves, so blocking and monitoring as much as possible is essential. As they get older, you can expand their cyber freedom as they earn your trust.

9. Respect Your Child's Privacy

This step is perhaps the most important one because it sends the message that your monitoring efforts aren't about stifling your child's privacy-they're about protecting your kids. Respecting their privacy can include providing physical privacy (e.g., always knocking before entering their bedroom); giving them access to sexual health websites (you may have to manually allow these if you are filtering their web use); providing them with books about bodies and sexuality for them to read on their own; and allowing them to have private conversations with their friends on the phone and/or private time in-person. You also want to make clear that you are available for questions as well.

10. Make Offline Time Fun

Now that you've carved out some time where everyone won't be glued to their devices, fill in that time with fun activities. Model the behavior you want to see in your kids and the healthy attitude they should have toward technology and the internet.

Make your fun time together as creative and stress-free as possible to help ensure that they don't shrug off the wonders of the real world and face-to-face relationships in favor of what they are missing online.

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Your Child and Technology: 10 Steps for a Safe and Healthy Online Life

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When talking with parents about online safety, it seems as if everyone wants to know what button to push or what software to buy to ensure their child never sees porn, never talks to strangers online, and never posts provocative pictures.