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Key Stage 2 computing · Information technology

KS2 fake news: how children learn to check online information

Anyone can publish a page, photo or video, and not everything online is true, fair or made for the reasons it seems. In Key Stage 2, children learn to be discerning about digital content: to ask who made it and why, to look for evidence, to compare it with other sources and to notice when something is trying to persuade, sell or deceive them.

Checking what we find online, explained

The first step is asking who is behind the content. A page might be written by an expert, a charity, a company, a newspaper, a hobbyist or a person with no knowledge of the subject. Children learn to look for clues such as the name of the author, the date, an “about us” page and whether the site is trying to sell something. A page with no author, no date and a lot of adverts is less trustworthy than one that tells you where its facts came from.

The second step is asking why it was made. Some content informs, some entertains, some persuades and some sells. Headlines that shout, promise a shock or ask for clicks (often called clickbait) are designed to get attention, not to be accurate. Children also learn to separate fact, which can be checked, from opinion, which is what someone thinks. Misinformation is wrong information that may be shared by accident; disinformation is wrong information created or shared on purpose.

The third step is checking against other sources. Rather than staying on a page and judging it only by how it looks, children open other pages, look in a library book or ask a knowledgeable adult, and see whether the main facts agree. Pictures and videos can be edited or made with computer tools, including AI tools that produce realistic images and writing that is sometimes wrong. Children are taught that a convincing picture is not proof and that the same checking habits apply to it.

This work builds directly on learning to search. Search results are chosen and ranked by a computer, so a child has to judge what they find, not just collect it. Schools do this through short activities, such as comparing two pages on the same topic or spotting the hidden persuasion in an advert. The curriculum’s aim is for pupils to be responsible, competent, confident and creative users of technology, and being a careful reader is part of that.

Words your child will hear

Source
Where information comes from, such as a book, a website or a person.
Reliable
Can be trusted to be accurate, because it is checked and its evidence is clear.
Bias
Showing one side of a story more strongly or unfairly than another.
Clickbait
A dramatic headline or picture designed to make you click rather than to inform you.
Misinformation
False or misleading information, which may be shared by someone who thinks it is true.
Disinformation
False information created or spread deliberately to mislead people.
Evidence
Facts, results or examples that can be checked and that support a claim.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 2 says:

  • Pupils should be taught to use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content
  • Aim: pupils are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A worked example: should we believe this claim?

A fun-facts page says, “Goldfish only have a three-second memory.” It has no author or date and is full of adverts. Is the claim reliable?

  1. Fact or opinion? It is a factual claim rather than an opinion, so it can be tested and checked.
  2. Who made it, and why? There is no author, no date and many adverts, so the page is probably trying to attract clicks. That is a reason to be careful, not proof that it is wrong.
  3. What is the evidence? The page doesn’t mention any experiment or expert. A claim with no evidence is only an assertion.
  4. Compare with other sources. A library book about fish and a page from an aquarium or science museum explain that goldfish can learn and remember things such as feeding times and how to find food for weeks or months.
  5. Weigh it up. The first page disagrees with several better sources that give reasons, so it should not be trusted.

The claim is not reliable. Goldfish can remember things for much longer than three seconds, and the page gave no evidence. A good answer says what was checked and why.

Common mistakes and how to help

“If it looks professional, it must be true”

Good design, clear photographs and confident writing feel like signs of quality. Anyone can now make a polished page.

What helps: Try the “cover the design” test: ignore how the page looks and ask who wrote it, where the facts came from and whether anyone else says the same.

“A photo or video is proof”

Children have grown up believing that seeing is believing. Pictures can be edited, taken out of context or made with computer tools.

What helps: Ask where and when a picture was taken and who shared it. Look for the same event in other sources before you accept what a picture seems to show.

“If lots of people share it, it must be true”

Popularity feels like agreement from many people. False stories can spread quickly precisely because they are surprising.

What helps: Say that sharing measures interest, not accuracy. Encourage a pause before passing anything on.

Thinking all adverts and opinion are “fake”

Once children learn to be suspicious, they sometimes swing too far and distrust everything.

What helps: Explain that being discerning means judging each source carefully. Opinions are fine when they’re labelled, and good sources can be trusted for what they cover.

How to help at home

  • Play fact or fib. Take turns telling each other three surprising facts, two true and one invented. The others have to find the false one and explain how they could check it.
  • Ask the three questions. When your child shows you something they found online, ask: Who made this? Why? How do you know it’s true? Do it often enough that your child starts asking themselves.
  • Compare two sources. Choose a topic they are studying and read two different pages or books on it. Where do they agree and where do they differ? Which has better evidence?
  • Spot the persuader. Watch or read an advert together and ask what it wants you to think, feel or do. Who paid for it? Which parts are fact and which are opinion?
  • Model good habits. Let your child see you check a surprising story before you share it. Children copy what adults do far more than what adults say.

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