(TNS) — With the Internet and social media now firmly established as dominant places to get news and info, New Jersey may soon create standards for students in all grades to learn how to discern trustworthy sources, conduct research using facts and data, and avoid misinformation.
Though Garden State schools already have some requirements to teach the topic, the state Legislature has overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill (S588) that would mandate a state Department of Education committee to develop specific statewide guidelines for lessons on information literacy across digital, visual, and technological media.
The state Board of Education would then adopt the standards — covering kindergarten through 12th grade — and each school district in the state would then apply them.
The state Senate voted to pass the measure 36-0 last Monday, after the state Assembly approved it 61-8, with four abstentions, last month. It’s now up to Gov. Phil Murphy to decide whether to sign it into law or veto it.
Supporters say the move is needed in the wake of the rise of social media and as misinformation becomes more common online. The lessons, they said, would help students distinguish fact from fiction and mold them into more informed citizens.
A Pew Research Center survey from July found half of U.S. adults get news from a social media platform at least sometimes. A 2020 Stanford University study showed college students struggled to identify misinformation.
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