Google Expands Digital Safety Curriculum to Tackle Fake News
Google updates its "Be Internet Awesome" program with six new media literacy activities designed to help children identify disinformation, avoid phishing, and evaluate online sources.
Google expands its "Be Internet Awesome" digital safety curriculum to include media literacy, teaching children how to identify fake news and false content. The company launches six new activities that help kids understand how to verify credible information, evaluate sources, and spot fake URLs. These lessons aim to show children that online content is not always true or reliable.
The new coursework is developed in collaboration with media literacy experts, including Anne Collier of The Net Safety Collaborative and Dr. Faith Rogow of the National Association for Media Literacy Education. Educators emphasize that media literacy is an essential but challenging topic to cover in the digital age. The program combines instruction with activities and discussion starters to build critical thinking skills.
Through the curriculum, kids learn practical skills like recognizing phishing attempts and understanding how artificial intelligence and bots operate. They practice reacting to suspicious texts, emails, and friend requests, while also learning how to assess a source's motives and expertise. The lessons remind students that being an expert in one area does not make someone an authority on every subject.