By PSHE Education Team
In today’s era when an overflow of overlapping information is accessible in a matter of clicks and taps, we often struggle to filter and identify reliable information that affects our health. This month in PSHE Education, we discuss with students the importance of accessing information about their health from reliable sources. However, conversations with parents at home about students’ health should also be based on equally reliable sources.
What parents can do to support:
- Seek advice from licensed and active medical practitioners
Practicing doctors are required to continually update their skills and knowledge through regular training and are able to provide you with the latest update on health information from fellow experts.
- Find out who an information comes from
Not all online sources are created equally. Before taking advice from information found online, ask yourself and investigate, “Is the information written by a medical expert?”, “Are they someone currently still practicing medicine?”, “Has the information been reviewed or checked by other medical experts?”
- Avoid spreading unverified information on social media or private chat broadcasts
Information spread through these platforms are often unsubstantiated or have not been fact-checked. (Due to its end-to-end encryption, WhatsApp, in particular, creates opportunities for the spread of disinformation as content messages cannot be monitored and regulated). Messages may have also been created, interpreted, and/or repackaged from the original material by untrained eyes or non-experts.
Reliable websites:
- www.cdc.gov
- www.who.int
- Indonesia: www.alodokter.com; www.halodoc.com
- Apps: HaloDoc, Alodokter, Riliv (for mental health)
Please note however that accessing online resources should not replace reading books. It also links to Pak Jon C’s diagram about the positive impact of reading.
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p08k84jw/why-the-way-our-children-watch-screens-matters