Introducing Media Literacy to Children
Headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, Rock In Prevention is a not-for-profit youth education organization. Rock In Prevention operates with a goal of teaching children about a variety of important topics, including bullying, alcohol and tobacco use, and media literacy.
Media literacy is an important tool for individuals of all ages. In short, media literacy is a term used to describe an individual’s ability to effectively analyze news and entertainment and determine how biased or realistic the content might be. While media literacy plays a crucial role in how adults view and interpret modern politics, it is also important that children understand that the media they are surrounded with is not always a 100-percent accurate representation of life.
When it comes to teaching children about media literacy, adults must understand that the goal is not to shield a child from a specific message that parents or guardians find unsuitable. Instead, children must be outfitted with the tools necessary to independently judge the reliability of various media sources. Similarly, parents cannot simply ban television from their home as a solution, as media is virtually all pervasive in modern society.
At the end of the day, media literacy is simply about the ability to think for one’s self, a lesson children should learn in all facets of life. Assuming a family already fosters independent thinking in their child, they have already taken the first important step in developing the child’s media literacy.
Media literacy is an important tool for individuals of all ages. In short, media literacy is a term used to describe an individual’s ability to effectively analyze news and entertainment and determine how biased or realistic the content might be. While media literacy plays a crucial role in how adults view and interpret modern politics, it is also important that children understand that the media they are surrounded with is not always a 100-percent accurate representation of life.
When it comes to teaching children about media literacy, adults must understand that the goal is not to shield a child from a specific message that parents or guardians find unsuitable. Instead, children must be outfitted with the tools necessary to independently judge the reliability of various media sources. Similarly, parents cannot simply ban television from their home as a solution, as media is virtually all pervasive in modern society.
At the end of the day, media literacy is simply about the ability to think for one’s self, a lesson children should learn in all facets of life. Assuming a family already fosters independent thinking in their child, they have already taken the first important step in developing the child’s media literacy.
