Daily Tips for Families

Today's Tip for Families

2026-04-15

Help Your Child Navigate the Complex World of Online Research

Elementary school students may have grown up with computers, but they are just beginning to learn to do research online. The digital world offers an ocean of resources—many that are reliable and some that are misleading or downright inappropriate.

To help your child browse safely and evaluate online sources:

Supervise. Guide your child's research sessions. Discuss keywords that might be relevant to search for.
Turn on "safe search" filters on search engines. Some search engines for children have these filters already applied. Your child’s teacher may be able to offer recommendations.
Talk about advertising. Some websites pay search engines to list their sites first. Tell your child that being on top of a search list doesn’t mean a site is better. A lot of websites exist to sell a product or agenda. Teach your elementary schooler to look for small labels saying advertisement or sponsored material, and for links to sites that are selling something, and recognize that these are ads.
Discuss credibility. Help your child determine if a site is reputable. Together, ask questions such as: Is this site presenting facts, or opinions? Does it give a balanced view? Who is the author? Does the site list sources for the information it presents? Who is the publisher? Has the site been updated recently?

Brought to you by:

West Point Consolidated School District