Parenting Media Literacy

Critical Thinking for Parents: Helping Teens Resist Misinformation

Practical evaluation, conversation techniques, and digital habits parents can use to strengthen teens' media judgment

Quick Course Facts

Self-paced, Online, Lessons

Videos and/or Narrated Presentations

2.1

Approximate Hours of Course Media

About the Critical Thinking for Parents: Helping Teens Resist Misinformation Course

Professor Anthony Owens leads a compact, practical course for parents who want to help teens navigate online misinformation. Lessons focus on simple skills you can teach and model at home.

You'll learn how misinformation spreads, how to assess sources and evidence, which questions to ask, and how to use quick fact‑checking tools. The course prioritizes short, actionable activities and conversation scripts parents can use right away.

By the end you'll have coaching techniques, a fact‑checking workflow, and a template for a family media agreement to reduce harm and build long‑term digital resilience.

Course Lessons

Full lesson breakdown

Lessons are organized by topic area and each includes descriptive copy for search visibility and student clarity.

Foundations

2 lessons

Lesson 1: Why Critical Thinking Matters for Teens

12 min Preview

In this 12-minute Foundations lesson Professor Anthony Owens explains why teaching critical thinking to teens is essential today. Teens face a fast-moving online environment where emotional appeals, t…

Lesson 2: How Misinformation Spreads Online

14 min

How Misinformation Spreads Online explains the main mechanisms that make false or misleading claims travel fast: emotional content, social proof, algorithmic amplification, network structure, and auto…

Evaluate Information

2 lessons

Lesson 3: Recognizing Red Flags in Content

15 min

This 15-minute lesson helps parents spot common "red flags" that indicate online content may be misleading or false. It focuses on practical cues—headline tactics, source signals, emotional language, …

Lesson 4: Evaluating Sources and Evidence

15 min

Evaluating Sources and Evidence (15 minutes) with Professor Anthony Owens — practical checks parents can use to judge online claims and teach teens to do the same. This lesson focuses on quick credibi…

Critical Tools

2 lessons

Lesson 5: Common Biases and Logical Fallacies

14 min

This 14-minute lesson introduces common cognitive biases and logical fallacies parents need to recognize so they can help teens evaluate online claims more effectively. It explains the difference betw…

Lesson 6: Fast Fact‑Checking Tools and Workflows

12 min

This 12‑minute lesson equips parents with a compact set of fast fact‑checking tools and a simple workflow they can use with teens when encountering doubtful posts, images, or videos. Focus is on pract…

Practical Coaching

2 lessons

Lesson 7: Coaching Conversations: Questions That Work

12 min

Coaching Conversations: Questions That Work (12 minutes) — Professor Anthony Owens presents a compact, practical guide parents can use to coach teens through online misinformation. This lesson focuses…

Lesson 8: Building Healthy Digital Habits at Home

13 min

This 13-minute lesson shows parents how to coach teens toward sustainable, healthy digital habits at home. It focuses on concrete routines, simple household rules, and short coaching techniques you ca…

Conversations & Resilience

1 lesson

Lesson 9: Handling Viral, Emotional, or Sensitive Topics

12 min

This 12-minute lesson shows parents how to respond when teens encounter viral, emotional, or sensitive online content. Focus is on short, practical moves: name the emotion, pause for verification, pro…

Action Plan

1 lesson

Lesson 10: Drafting a Family Media Agreement and Next Steps

10 min

This 10-minute lesson guides parents through drafting a concise, practical family media agreement and planning immediate next steps for implementation. It focuses on co-created values, clear rules, im…

About Your Instructor

Professor Anthony Owens

Professor Anthony Owens guides this AI-built Virversity course with a clear, practical teaching style.