Telephone Trouble: Mis- & Disinformation

In a world where news travels at the speed of a "click," it's easy for stories to get mixed up. Sometimes people share things that are wrong by accident (misinformation), and other times, people create fake stories on purpose to trick others (disinformation).

This activity uses a classic game to show your child how easily the truth can get mixed up, and gives them a plan for what to do when they spot a rumor.

Directions

1. Ask your child:
   • Have you ever heard a rumor?
   • Why might someone share a rumor before knowing if it's true?
   • What's different between someone making an honest mistake when sharing a rumor and someone purposely sharing information they know is untrue?
2. Share with your child that we've all seen how easily rumors can spread. You can say: Sometimes people share false information because they genuinely think it's true and want to inform others, which is misinformation. Other times people make up fake stories and spread them on purpose to cause confusion or harm, which is disinformation.
3. Share the following examples of misinformation and disinformation with your child and ask them which is which:
   • Is this misinformation or disinformation? You share last year's snow day announcement because you accidentally thought it was for this year.
   • Is this misinformation or disinformation? You create a fake school social media account to announce a false snow day.
4. Share that it can be kind of like the game of Telephone. Sometimes, the message gets misinterpreted accidentally, like misinformation. Or someone in the circle might purposely change the message, which is disinformation.
5. Talk through the following scenarios to see how they would define them.
   • A popular wellness influencer posts that drinking a specific type of expensive salt water will "cure" acne in three days. They include a link to buy the salt.
   • A friend on Instagram shares a post that says a major celebrity just passed away. You check the news, and it's not there. Your friend says, "Oops, I just saw it on a fan page and thought it was real."
   • Your favorite athlete is pictured in a viral post wearing a jersey for a rival team. Everyone in the comments is calling them a "traitor," but if you look closely at the photo, it seems like the athlete has six fingers on one hand.
   • A student reposts a screenshot from the local news saying, "Heavy snow tonight! Schools are closed tomorrow!" It's a real screenshot from a real news station, but it's actually from a storm that happened two years ago.
6. Ask your child: What should you do if you accidentally spread information that isn't true?
7. Tell your child: Misinformation and disinformation can spread fast, especially on social media. Before you share something, take a moment to verify it. And if you discover you've shared something false, don't be afraid to correct it. The most important thing is acknowledging the mistake and helping correct it, rather than ignoring it. When we're willing to fix our mistakes, we help build a more trustworthy information environment for everyone.

This activity is adapted from the lesson in our Digital Literacy & Well-Being Curriculum.