While the internet has increased access to information and has often been a force for good, it has also contributed to making many people misinformed, uninformed and even radicalized.
That’s why it is welcome news to see New Jersey become the first state in the country to require schools to teach media literacy to K-12 students. Other states, including Pennsylvania, should follow the Garden State’s lead.
Students raised on mobile phones have a world of information — and disinformation — at their fingertips. Studies show many teens get their news from TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, barely regulated spaces where most anything goes. That is all the more reason why it’s essential for schools to teach students how to discern fact from fiction.
