Talking to Students About Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship

With Share My Lesson, educators can help students conduct themselves responsibly in digital spaces—and provide additional support for any students who experience harm. Dozens of resources are available to teach digital literacy and critical thinking, help students set clear boundaries online, support their mental and emotional health, and foster open communication about students’ online experiences.

Encouraging Online Safety and Well-Being

SML’s Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship collection is curated to help educators teach students about well-being and safety online. “Deep Fakes to Viral Hoaxes” provides strategies for integrating media literacy into lesson plans and helping students discern the reliability of online content. And the lesson plan “AI Ian Shows You How Not to Be Duped by AI Technology” covers viral misinformation through synthetic voice and imagery and teaches students to critically evaluate sources and identify content created by artificial intelligence.

See the K–12 Teaching in the Era of AI and Social Media collection for more resources dedicated to media literacy. “AI Literacy: Preparing Students for Digital Spaces” by SML partner Common Sense Education highlights lessons and strategies for discussing the social and ethical impacts of AI—including generative AI such as chatbots—with students and mitigating its potential harms. “Two Amazing Experts: AI’s Ethical Pitfalls” highlights concerns such as privacy, data bias, and algorithmic transparency and encourages students to consider how AI tools can be developed and used responsibly. “Teens Reflect on How Social Media Nearly Ruined Their Friendship” is a lesson plan from PBS NewsHour Classroom focused on the mental health challenges associated with social media and how teens can use social media to create positive changes. 

Educator and SML contributor Amber Chandler has several great resources in this collection, including “Disrupting the Cellphone Situation and Navigating Social Media in Your Classroom”—a webinar offering practical solutions for creating a productive classroom free of digital distraction and talking with students about the impact of screen time and social media. And in “Is Education Ready for a Digital Detox? Are You?,” Chandler suggests more adults should reflect on their own digital distractions—and challenges educators to create more opportunities for students to socialize without cellphones. 

Trauma-Informed Practices

Schools are among the most important places where students can receive support if they experience harm related to their online experiences. “Lessons on Children’s Well-Being and Trauma-Informed Practice,” part of SML’s new Welcome-to-Teaching Conversation Series, considers five transformative healing gestures—listening, comfort, collaboration, celebration, and inspiration—that can create a classroom culture of compassion, resilience, and growth. And SML has a full collection of trauma-informed lesson plans and resources, including “Trauma Awareness and Resources for Youth-Serving Professionals.” This webinar, presented by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, addresses signs of trauma and stress in students and how educators can help students recover and heal following a traumatic experience.

Find more teaching strategies on media literacy, digital citizenship, and student well-being as part of Share My Lesson’s free, for-credit virtual conference webinars: sharemylesson.com/community/vc2025.

Do you have resources you’d like to share? SML makes it easy! And if you have ideas or requests, reach out to content@sharemylesson.com.

This American Educator, Spring 2025 article was republished with permission from AFT.