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Almost all of kids’ favourite apps and websites make money from targeted advertising, which uses their personal information to choose which ads to show them. Many of them also sell the data they collect to data brokers, which use information from many sources to make detailed profiles of users. Some also share it with other apps that are owned by the same company, such as Google and YouTube or Instagram and Facebook.
Today's kids have become the most marketed-to generation in history, due to their spending power and their future influence as adult consumers. By talking to kids about advertising - how it works and how they're targeted - we can help them to become more savvy as consumers and more resistant to the pressures to be "cool."
Rating systems can be helpful when trying to choose appropriate movies, but with many different systems in use in Canada, they can also be very confusing. To help make sense of the differences, here's an overview of all the systems currently in use.
Read the latest articles from MediaSmarts experts and parent bloggers.Blogs
Minimize screen use, especially for the youngest children:
Media educators base their teaching on key concepts of media literacy, which provide an effective foundation for examining mass media and popular culture. These key concepts act as filters that any media text has to go through in order for us to respond.
MediaSmarts, Canada’s centre for digital media literacy and a registered charity, is excited to be launching the Teen Fact-Checking Network (TFCN) in Canada! This international project was started in the U.S. by MediaWise and has since been adopted in countries across the globe including Brazil, Germany, India and Spain.
Alberta’s Aboriginal Studies curriculum “is intended to provide a conceptual framework for all learners to enhance understanding of the diverse Aboriginal cultures within their region, Canada and the world.” (Aboriginal Studies 10-20-30).
Children under two should spend as little time with screen devices as possible, except for video-chats with people they know offline and reading e-books with an adult or sibling.
The 2023 Science K-6 curriculum states that “the study of science allows students to nurture curiosity, ask and answer questions, explore scientific and technological concepts, and acquire knowledge and understanding of the world. Science provides a reliable basis for decision making and is essential in developing innovative ideas and solutions.