Letters: Teach kids to be media literate

The Campaign for A Commercial Free Childhood had a good idea with its Screen-Free Week (May 2-8): For one full week, parents turn off the TV, the Internet and all of the other media in young people’s lives. During this media fast, young people are encouraged to do a host of alternative activities.

Unfortunately, the campaign has never acknowledged the importance of teaching media literacy: how to watch critically. This is a huge oversight. While they’re away from the media, these young people could be learning, with parents’ and teachers’ help, how to deconstruct a commercial or understand the news, how reality TV is not really real.

And what happens after the “screen-free week”? Many participants return to their media habits. Media illiteracy grows when parents and educators don’t acknowledge the role of media and teach young people how to be healthy skeptics.

This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Letters: Teach kids to be media literate."