How to Help Your Child Check an Online Claim

Your child shows you a clip and repeats its claim as fact. You suspect it is wrong, but “Don’t believe everything you see” does not show them how you reached that conclusion. You may not have checked either.

First, notice what they wanted to share. A joke, favorite character, or strange edit does not always need a lesson. If they are treating a claim as fact, planning to share it, or making a decision based on it, try: “I’m not sure about that. Want to check it together?” Keep the invitation honest rather than turning promised downtime into a surprise quiz.

Choose the claim you can actually check

Move from “That account is always right” to one statement. Imagine a post with a photo of a locked swimming-pool gate and a caption saying the pool is closed all summer. The question is which pool is closed, and for how long. You do not need to settle whether your child should like the person who posted it.

“That’s disappointing” expresses a feeling. “This is the worst pool” is a judgment. “It is closed all summer” makes a claim you can check against dates. Someone can have opinions you dislike and still get a particular fact right.

Ask to see the relevant post or public link, not an entire private conversation. A screenshot can give you a starting point, but it may leave out the original link, date, or surrounding explanation. Name what is missing without treating the missing information as proof that your child is lying.

Look beyond the post for its source

The Digital Inquiry Group teaches lateral reading: leaving a site to see what other sources say about it, instead of relying on its own description. Open another tab and look up the author or organization. Look for independent reporting about who they are and whether their work is relevant to this claim. A polished page or official-sounding name is not enough.

Then choose somewhere with direct information about the question. For pool hours, look for the pool’s current notice. For a broad scientific claim, look for evidence and explanations from people with relevant expertise, beyond someone selling a product. Ask what makes this source useful for this particular question.

You might say, “Let’s find the pool’s own schedule.” With a younger child, you can handle the search and read aloud while they help find the dates. A teen might choose the next search or explain why a source is worth opening. Adjust help to their reading, language, and search skills. If you cannot get online now, wait before sharing; a librarian can also help you find information later.

Check what the evidence really supports

Open the page rather than stopping at a headline or search preview. What does it actually say, when was it posted, and which place does it describe? Common Sense Media’s guidance for parents recommends reading the full content, checking dates, and comparing credible coverage. It also cautions that a lack of other reporting does not necessarily mean a story is false.

In the pool example, suppose the notice lists two days of maintenance. The locked-gate photo could be genuine without proving a summer-long closure. Show your child the dates: “This says two days, not the whole summer.” If the current notice really does announce a full-season closure, accept the information your child brought you.

Several posts can all repeat one unsupported screenshot. That gives you repetition, not independent confirmation. Look for who checked the facts or supplied a document you can read. If a fact-checking site covers the claim, read its explanation, date, and evidence rather than taking only its verdict. Make sure it addresses the same claim.

For an image, a reverse image search may help you find an earlier use with a different date, place, or caption, as Australia’s eSafety Commissioner explains. This is an optional way to investigate context, not a test every image must pass. Finding no earlier match does not prove it is genuine. Do not upload private images of children or other people to run the check.

Decide what you know before sharing

Match your conclusion to what you found. Explain which part the evidence supports, which part it contradicts, or what remains unconfirmed. “We haven’t confirmed this” is different from “This is false.” You do not need to decide that nothing online can be trusted just because this search did not settle the question.

“We don’t know yet. I’m not going to forward it.” That can be enough when time is short. If the answer affects where you are going today, take responsibility for contacting the venue directly or making another plan. Your child does not have to keep searching until they can prove you right.

If you dismissed something that turns out to be accurate, say so: “You were right. I answered before I checked.” The UK Safer Internet Centre also urges parents to check content before sharing it with their families. If you forwarded an inaccurate claim, correct it where you shared it. If your child shared it, help them write a brief correction without demanding a public performance of regret. Neither of you has to become the fact checker for an entire group chat.

If your child will not check, or still disagrees

“You just hate that person” may be your child’s response. Bring the question back to the claim: “I’m asking how long the pool is closed. You’re allowed to like the account.” Show the evidence you found, then leave room for a response. Repeating questions until they admit defeat adds nothing to the check.

A low-stakes claim with no action pending can wait: “We can leave it for today. I’m not treating it as confirmed.” You can still check something that has practical consequences yourself. Do not make device access depend on your child saying you were right. If a reliable current notice settles the question, you can state what it says and end the argument. You do not have to present an unsupported conclusion as equally convincing.

If they really wanted company, return to that invitation. Our Guide to spending time with your teen offers ways to share an interest without adding a lesson. You can enjoy something together without checking every detail.

If content has frightened your child, offer support and a break from watching. Do not require repeated viewing as practice. Threats or an immediate safety concern need adult protection and appropriate help; they should not wait for a family fact-checking exercise.