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Prevention Action Alliance
Know! To Fuel
Their Critical Thinking
Have you ever received an unsolicited, direct-to-consumer advertisement
via email, text, or social media? Of course you have! They somehow seem
to find all of us, even if we’re not looking for them. The same holds
true for our students. Just like us, they are bombarded with
advertising – mainly on their phones and laptops; from YouTube videos
to game apps, and the numerous other social media sites. The biggest
problem is that many of the ads they receive promote and offer discrete
ordering of products that are unhealthy, unsafe, and inappropriate for
teens and tweens – including the popular push of marijuana products and
vaping devices.
Many young people consciously or unconsciously look to media to help
them define who they are and what they want to become. They count on
the glamorous and cool characters depicted in these ads to help them
determine what behaviors are normal and what lifestyle choices will
provide them acceptance and inclusion among their peers, or maybe just
fun and excitement.
Ideally, as educators, we would simply steer our students away from
such advertising. However, these ads represent a critical, teachable
moment. Parental controls on social media and electronic devices can be
quite helpful in filtering out some of the junk, but our students need
to be taught to understand when and how people try to manipulate their
thoughts and feelings. It’s up to us to teach youth how to decode the
advertising messages they come across - therefore decreasing media’s
power and influence over them. This is called media literacy.
We encourage you to have an open dialogue in your classroom on the
topic. You can start by sharing with them how you receive unsolicited,
unwanted ads on your phone – for example. Then ask your students about
the ads that pop up on their phones or other electronic devices. Ask if
they ever receive ads that, for example, promote products that could be
harmful to their health – like the popular vaping devices. More than
likely they will be able to tell you about similar ads. If they have
been fortunate enough to have not received such ads, give them an
example of a product advertisement they may come across, then discuss
these questions to fuel their critical thinking:
Who created the ad?
What techniques did they use to get your attention?
What do they want you to do after seeing their message?
Would this be a healthy choice for you?
Do you think your health and safety are important to the ad sponsor?
How do you feel about it now?
It doesn’t have to be a particular type of ad to be a learning
experience. The key is to teach young people that no matter the product
being promoted, there is an advertiser with an intended message, and
that it is up to them to think critically to interpret that message and
apply it to their lives appropriately. These questions only scratch the
surface when it comes to media literacy. But they’re a great start.
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