Gov. Kathy Hochul is continuing her campaign against dangerous and inaccurate social media information that, she says, endangers children across New York.
The governor on Tuesday met with State Commissioner of Education Betty A. Rosa and other educational leaders to discuss New York’s ongoing “Media Literacy” toolkit for educators, which was first announced in November and designed to help teach students how to spot an array of wrong information online.
The toolkit, which is still in the works and has not yet been released to schools, will help teachers battle what the state calls “mis/dis/mal-information” on the internet.
Hochul and State Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray joined Rosa and district superintendents from across the state to discuss the “priority” project with education leaders.
Bray will continue to hold discussions with experts and stakeholders statewide in the coming months, aiming to deliver a finalized toolkit to educators by the end of 2024, the governor’s office said.
Following a surge in online hate speech in November 2023 after the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks on Israel, the ensuing war with Hamas in Gaza and other world events, Hochul said she directed the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to work with experts to develop and distribute an “ideologically neutral product” that gives teachers resources to “develop students’ ability to analyze, evaluate and assess all forms of media,” including information delivered through social media.
“The rising tide of hate online is putting all New Yorkers at risk, especially our kids,” the governor said. “Last year, I directed the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to develop a media literacy toolkit to help our educators teach their students how to spot misinformation, and I look forward to releasing the final product to help keep our kids safe online.”
In November, Hochul sent a letter to executives at major social media companies, including TikTok, calling for increased monitoring of content that could incite violence. The governor cited the many benefits of social media but also referred to them as “breeding grounds” for hateful content.
“Users across your platforms have reported being flooded with hateful and threatening messages and comments, and content promoting explicit calls for violence against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab people have proliferated — in some cases being shared tens of thousands of times,” the letter stated. “And while the most brazen messages have in many cases been removed, less overt content and coded messages that nonetheless carry violent and threatening meanings persist.”
Tuesday’s meeting also builds on the governor’s efforts to improve youth mental health and well-being, including holding a statewide listening tour focused on addressing smartphone use in schools.
