“I’ve seen on social media that Jews did 9/11. That Jews run social media. Run the government. Control the weather. I’ve seen a bunch of crazy conspiracy theories that aren’t entirely true,” said the Grade 12 student. class, whose social accounts include Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter and Pinterest. “These people don’t even know what they’re talking about, but they decide to say it anyway because they see it on other platforms.” While public school students typically receive some Holocaust education, it is not enough to address the anti-Semitic messages young people see and share online, whether intentionally or out of ignorance, he said. “We don’t learn about the Holocaust in a curriculum until 10th grade history and even then we don’t learn much.” As events for Holocaust Education Week begin, CBC News spoke with students and experts about the anti-Semitism facing young people online today and the need for better education to help navigate the harmful and pervasive misinformation in these spaces. social spheres. WATCHES | Teenagers, experts in dealing with anti-Semitic videos, comment on social media:
Students viewing rampant anti-Semitic content online
During Holocaust Education Week, students are opening up about the anti-Semitism they see everywhere, from social media comment sections to video games. Educators say children who repost or like anti-Semitic content may not fully understand the harm they are causing.
What’s behind it now?
In times of global concern and worry, people often look for someone to blame, says Dara Solomon, executive director of Toronto’s Holocaust Museum, which opens in spring 2023. “We’ve seen a really unfortunate rise in hate of all kinds since COVID really started, and we’re seeing a really unfortunate rise in anti-Semitism especially. A lot of it is online, and here are our kids,” he said. . Disinformation researcher Abby Richards agrees, saying that in the midst of significant social, political and economic upheaval, some simply find it easier to vilify a particular group. “It’s a way to channel anger and rage and a sense of injustice… You don’t have to fix a broken system. All you have to do is kick this group out,” explained Richards, an American TikToker whose field of study involves investigating conspiracy theories spread through the ubiquitous social platform.
Where are kids seeing this content?
According to Richards, toxic anti-Semitism and hatred can be evident on alternative social media platforms because they are either less or completely moderate. But even on controlled mainstream platforms, “you still see it,” he said. “Wherever people who hold anti-Semitic beliefs go into digital spaces, they carry that anti-Semitism with them.” While specific topics may be more often targeted with anti-Semitic commentary (a video discussing Israel and Palestine, for example), it also appears in unexpected places. Last year, Richards explored a seemingly “fun Antarctic conspiracy theory” that went viral. Some dig unvarnished neo-Nazi mythology. WATCH |Top social media platforms must do more to fight anti-Semitism, MP says:
The International Task Force on Online Anti-Semitism is hearing from social media companies
Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, co-chair of a cross-parliamentary task force, says online platforms need to be more transparent and subject to independent audits. “Right now, we’re not seeing progress,” he said. The videos that younger children watch online should also be on adults’ radar, Snidman-Stren High School added. “A video can go from Peppa Pig to Peppa with a swastika and a Nazi outfit — in a matter of seconds — because people think it’s a funny joke. And The title might be normal, but then it turns into something like this.” With social media being such a big part of most people’s lives today, it’s much easier to spread disturbing content and misinformation, noted classmate Maya Klimich. “It doesn’t matter how much education you have or how much you actually know about the subject…. [Social media] it gives people the ability to share their information with millions of people,” said the Toronto grade 10 student. Classmate Eve Pascoe, also in Year 10, believes there is intent behind the anti-Semitic material she has seen being shared. “These accounts are like anonymous people. They don’t have names. They don’t have videos of themselves, so I think they know what they’re doing is bad.”
Quick action is required
Museum director Solomon is concerned that this kind of content spread on social media is normalizing anti-Semitism among young people. “Kids see it. They don’t necessarily know what it is and they just know it’s prohibited content. So then it appeals to them and they start using it in graffiti and things like that,” he said. “Part of our business is renting [students] know that these symbols are actually connected to history and they need to understand that just putting them in a school and… scratching it on the board is not okay.” Repeated exposure has a real effect, according to Richards. “The more you see something, the more it seems real. And the more you see something extremist or radical, the less extremist or radical it will seem.”
Strategies for parents and teachers
Richards recommends that adults first create an atmosphere where children feel safe sharing what they see online before regularly talking to them about scrolling. Abbie Richards is a disinformation researcher and TikTokker who debunks conspiracy theories. (Alexi Reibman) “They need to know this exists in the digital spaces they are going to navigate,” he said. “Making sure we’re checking in with kids … about what they’re seeing and how those narratives could potentially cause harm in the real world are conversations we should be having all the time … Not just now, not just this week , but all the time.” Age-appropriate educational resources can help counter online misinformation about Jews and the Holocaust, according to Solomon, who says “education is the most important tool, not only for our children but for adults and parents”. She pointed to the Neuberger Holocaust Education Center’s resources that share the story of the Holocaust from multiple perspectives and through the testimonies of survivors, whether visiting classrooms or viewed online. For parents and educators of middle school students, a new program of short animated videos based on real-life events involving students aims to teach about the impact of anti-Semitism. Dara Solomon, executive director of Toronto’s upcoming Holocaust Museum, says part of the organization’s job is to “let [students] know that these symbols are indeed connected to the story and… scratching one on the board is not okay. (Doug Husby/CBC) If students aren’t familiar with the Jewish community, Solomon added, adults shouldn’t just rush in and start with the Holocaust. “Introduce Jewish heritage and culture and traditions and local history, instead of taking a deep dive into Holocaust anti-Semitism [first]… Start with the culture as you would with any other team.” Instead of trying to go back in time to some pre-internet, pre-social media era, “we need to dig into ‘Why do people feel powerless and out of control and then turn to conspiracy theories in the first place?’ Richards said. “It’s going to take a lot of social empowerment, a lot of education to overcome that and change our discourse. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”
