Guide

Talking to Teens About Online Hate Speech: A Guide for Parents and Families

Help teens identify, process, and think critically about online hate speech to help minimize its harmful effects.

Subject

Advisory
Civics & Citizenship

Language

English — US

Updated

December 5, 2023

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Talking to Teens About Online Hate Speech: A Guide for Parents and Families

Date of Publication: December 2023

About this Guide

Raising children in a digital age makes it essential for parents to help them process and think critically about the messages they encounter online, and to consider the impact that their own words and actions can have on others.

Hate speech is pervasive on social media. This resource is designed to support parents and other adults in helping children identify, process, and think critically about online hate speech to help minimize its harmful effects. Before engaging in a conversation about online hate speech with your teen, we encourage adults to read our Current Events Strategies for Parents and Teens, which has helpful tips, reflections, and resources to help guide these discussions.

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Facing History & Ourselves, “Talking to Teens About Online Hate Speech: A Guide for Parents and Families”, last updated December 5, 2023.

Lesson

Students explore Islamophobic tropes, their troubled history, their evolution and their present manifestation in further depth, and consider the harm that their circulation can cause.

Picture of students working in a classroom.

Lesson

Students reflect on how Islamophobia manifests in the media and in the entertainment industry, and the potential consequences of being exposed to Islamophobic content.

Photograph of student in uniform working on a worksheet in class

Lesson

Students learn how Islamophobia intersects with misogyny and the impact that this has on the treatment of Muslim women.

Lesson

Students reflect on the impact of Islamophobia on Muslims’ sense of belonging, consider what can be done to foster integration, and explore ways in which they and others can challenge Islamophobia.

Picture of high school students smiling.

Unit

This unit is designed to help students in the UK reflect on how Islamophobia manifests in contemporary society and what needs to be done to challenge it.

Lesson

Students explore the roots of Islamophobia, reflect on its human cost and its impact on those who experience it, and start thinking about the importance of standing up against Islamophobia.

Uniformed high school students read at their desks.

Lesson

Students start with the universal and move to the particular to learn about conflation as a manifestation of antisemitism.

Unit

This unit examines attempts to integrate Little Rock Central High School in 1957. It explores the impact of the choices of the Little Rock Nine as well as those of leaders, the media, and community members.

The "Little Rock Nine" form a study group after being prevented from entering Little Rock's racially segregated Central High School, 13th September 1957.

Lesson

Students reflect on peace as a concept, explore the work of peacebuilding organisations and individuals, and consider the power of seeking reconciliation over vengeance.

Mini-Lesson

This is the second mini-lesson in a two-part series on the impact of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and DALL-E on education.

Students in classroom work on their laptops.

Activity

Students practice gratitude by naming and recording three good things that have happened that day.

Two students look to the front of the classroom with smiles on their faces.

Activity

Students use poetry as a spark for reflection and discussion about what’s happening in their lives and the world.

Four students in conversation with each other in a classroom.

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Talking to Teens About Online Hate Speech: A Guide for Parents and Families

Subject

Language

Updated

Talking to Teens About Online Hate Speech: A Guide for Parents and Families

About this Guide

Download a PDF of This Free Guide

How to Cite This Guide

You might also be interested in…

Exploring Islamophobic Tropes

Addressing Islamophobia in the Media

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Standing Up Against Contemporary Islamophobia

Discussing Contemporary Islamophobia in the Classroom

Confronting Islamophobia

Antisemitic Conflation: What Is the Impact of Conflating All Jews with the Actions and Policies of the Israeli Government?

Choices in Little Rock Unit

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Talking to Teens About Online Hate Speech: A Guide for Parents and Families

Subject

Language

Updated

Talking to Teens About Online Hate Speech: A Guide for Parents and Families

About this Guide

Download a PDF of This Free Guide

How to Cite This Guide

You might also be interested in…

Exploring Islamophobic Tropes

Addressing Islamophobia in the Media

Understanding Gendered Islamophobia

Standing Up Against Contemporary Islamophobia

Discussing Contemporary Islamophobia in the Classroom

Confronting Islamophobia

Antisemitic Conflation: What Is the Impact of Conflating All Jews with the Actions and Policies of the Israeli Government?

Choices in Little Rock Unit

Exploring the Work of Peacebuilders

Learning to Navigate Generative AI Content: Media Literacy Strategies

Three Good Things

Slow Down with The Slowdown

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