As the popularity and success of paid social media influencers increase, their followers often want not only what the influencers have but also to be them.
The good news is that influencers can positively impact the world when they model healthy behaviours, and there is nothing wrong with advertising products that they genuinely love and recommend. However, since choosing to follow socially responsible influencers requires discernment, our conversations about financial responsibility should include media literacy. To do so, here are a few practical questions children and teenagers can ask themselves while scrolling through their newsfeeds:
- Who created this picture, video, or advertisement? What is the author’s point of view?
- Why was this post created? To make me laugh, bring awareness to a cause, or persuade me?
- What information has been disclosed, and what has been left out?
- How does this post make me feel?
Children and teenagers spend hours daily online accessing videos and music through social media. Whether they know it or not, being immersed in digital culture also puts them on the receiving end of countless marketing campaigns by social media influencers they admire or trust.
Asking the right questions and teaching our kids media literacy will equip them to navigate the complexities of social media marketing successfully. While this certainly sets them up for better financial responsibility, the benefits do not end there. Helping them understand how they are being influenced strengthens their ability to think critically and become the most significant influencers in their own lives.
Find out more about the work of the Maltese Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.
More on digital and socia-cultural environment
As the popularity and success of paid social media influencers increase, their followers often want not only what the influencers have but also to be them.
The good news is that influencers can positively impact the world when they model healthy behaviours, and there is nothing wrong with advertising products that they genuinely love and recommend. However, since choosing to follow socially responsible influencers requires discernment, our conversations about financial responsibility should include media literacy. To do so, here are a few practical questions children and teenagers can ask themselves while scrolling through their newsfeeds:
- Who created this picture, video, or advertisement? What is the author’s point of view?
- Why was this post created? To make me laugh, bring awareness to a cause, or persuade me?
- What information has been disclosed, and what has been left out?
- How does this post make me feel?
Children and teenagers spend hours daily online accessing videos and music through social media. Whether they know it or not, being immersed in digital culture also puts them on the receiving end of countless marketing campaigns by social media influencers they admire or trust.
Asking the right questions and teaching our kids media literacy will equip them to navigate the complexities of social media marketing successfully. While this certainly sets them up for better financial responsibility, the benefits do not end there. Helping them understand how they are being influenced strengthens their ability to think critically and become the most significant influencers in their own lives.
Find out more about the work of the Maltese Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.
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