Supporting young people to improve their digital literacy skills

Fake news – a danger to health, social cohesion and democracy or just a quick and entertaining way to learn about what’s happening in the world?

Leading the way in world-class video learning, ClickView has announced the launch of a new sixpart series, The Digital Literacy: Fake News.

Helping students to spot fake news and understand its risks by analysing examples of hoaxes, scams, propaganda, satire and clickbait, Edwina Baden-Powell, Head of Production at ClickView
explains the rationale behind the creation of this important original series –

“While the ClickView Production Department has been producing educational videos for over 30 years in many curriculum-aligned subject areas, skills-based content is becoming more important
for a generation of children faced with constant disruption.”

More than ever, young internet users need to be equipped with knowledge and skills to navigate digital platforms, especially social media communities, in an informed, safe and responsible manner.
With children spending on average two hours online per day according to Ofcom*, digital literacy is an essential requirement for all young people.

Recent Ofcom reports have stressed the importance and significance of the new series, with 60% of 12 to 15 year olds interested in news, 89% expressing high levels of concern about going online and
nearly two thirds of (28%) expressing concern of fake news when using the internet.

Alarmingly, although social media was revealed to be the least trustworthy source of news (39%) in a study on ‘Children and parents: Media use and attitudes’, this doesn’t seem to affect its importance
to children. Almost three-quarters say online is an important source of news to them – ahead of radio (65%), even though radio is considered to be twice as trustworthy (77%).

With increased exposure and interest teamed with the fact that students from Year 7 -Year 10 are among the most prolific internet users, as well as being some of the most vulnerable and  impressionable; ClickView is consciously leading the way to ensure students have access to vitally relevant resources in a world of 24/7 news.

Michael Wilkinson, Managing Director of ClickView UK said –
“Pre lockdown, we know from Ofcom that students were spending close to 2 hours watching TV and just over 2 more hours online each day. This has no doubt dramatically increased, much of which the
education community has had to tap into to support learning and teaching. However, as we do this, it becomes ever more imperative that we holistically consider the welfare of students online. This
new series is just one of many responses we at ClickView’s can support educators with, delivered through the video medium which we know students are seeking out given the choice.”

Teaching students the importance of understanding the psychology of fake news and how it manipulates emotions, the Fake News series has far-reaching benefits for all ages. “We are all so
vulnerable during a period like this,” explains Baden-Powell. “Fake News is really a series for everyone.”

With the ongoing uncertainty of COVID-19, Brexit and the impending US elections, there is a lot to process. Fake news content generated and shared during the global pandemic has further stirred up
these feelings of instability. For instance, fake news health scams, such as eating bananas, gargling vinegar, or drinking disinfectant to prevent COVID-19 have the potential to cause real harm. This is
why, providing the right skills to critical consumers of news and information is so important.

Empowering students to confidently navigate the digital landscape is vital. In a world where we are constantly consuming information online, having the ability to decipher and differentiate trusted
sources from fake news will not only help individuals, but also help stop the spread of false claims.

2020 has been a year of change, from the lockdown period triggered by Covid-19 to the Black Lives Matter movement and ongoing impact of Brexit. It has highlighted even more of the need to
cover news outside of the school gates and how this impacts students and the world around them. This series aims to do just that, developing students’ digital literacy skills beyond the classroom,
including:
• Learning how to identify and analyse different types of fake news.
• Understanding how persuasive and emotive language devices are used to spread false claims.
• How to evaluate the validity of various news sources such as apps and websites to make sure they don’t fall for fake news, or spread it.

ClickView’s new digital literacy series is due for general release on 24th August 2020.

The new series follows the recent free to use platform launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The site provided subscription free access to teachers, students and parents, ensuring
they could homeschool with confidence. The six part series is now available to access via the free site.

Putting world-class teaching and learning resources at the fingertips of educators and students, to find out more about the curriculum-aligned video content and resources, visit clickview.co.uk.

About ClickView
• ClickView is the world’s leading video content resource for primary schools, secondary schools and further education settings.
• Founded in 2003 and now with offices across the UK and Australia, ClickView supports over 4000
schools, colleges and universities around the world.
• The platform provides access to visually stunning, curriculum-aligned video content and teacher resources, plus contextual on-demand TV, video library and interactive question layers for formative assessment.
• ClickView puts the highest quality video content for effective teaching and learning and deeper understanding at the fingertips of educators and students.

For further information on the series or ClickView resources, please contact: Michael Wilkinson, michael.wilkinson@clickview.co.uk