Information literacy and healthy screen habits
AdvancedOnline information can be true or false: check the source, author and date, and cross-check before trusting. Respect copyright and manage screen time to protect eyes and posture.
- Five checks: source, evidence, date, cross-check, motive
- Shocking headline ＋ 'share now!' = fake news alarms
- Respect copyright: own words ＋ cited sources, never plagiarise
§Text Passage
1Information literacy is the ability to search for, evaluate and use information wisely — an essential skill for every modern learner. When a message arrives on social media or in a group chat, check who published it, whether evidence supports it and whether it is out of date, then compare several different reports. Never trust a single screenshot or the claim of being 'forwarded by a friend', because unverified messages are where rumours breed.
2Healthy screen habits are another part of information literacy: long sessions tire and dry the eyes, and the blue light received before bed disturbs sleep. Rest and look into the distance every thirty minutes to relax the eyes, charge the phone away from the bed at night, and set yourself a daily screen-time limit so that going online stays balanced with sport, reading and time with family and friends.
3Hong Kong examples are a real warning: scam SMS messages impersonating banks or the government appear again and again, and a fake website may differ from the real one by a single character. Verify through official websites or the e-resources of public libraries, and never tap links from strangers. Form the habit of 'verify first, share later' together with a healthy online routine: you protect yourself and stop fake news from spreading.
1Summary 重點摘要
Online information can be true or false: check the source, author and date, and cross-check before trusting. Respect copyright and manage screen time to protect eyes and posture.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
The ability to find, judge and use information well.
Made-up information designed to mislead or farm clicks.
Where information comes from: official sites and institutions beat anonymous posts.
The creator's rights over their work; no copying or sharing without permission.
Passing off others' work as your own — pasting from the web into homework counts.
Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet (6 m) away for 20 seconds.
Verifying information against official sites, reliable media and other trusted places.
The time spent on screens each day; set a limit and balance it with sport and rest.
3Step by step Steps
- Five questions for any informationFacing any piece of information, ask five questions first. Who says it — is the source trustworthy? Is there evidence or data to support it? When was it published — is it already outdated? Do other reliable institutions say the same? And what does the poster want me to believe — is there a profit motive, such as selling something or farming clicks? Only information passing all five deserves belief and sharing. Once the habit forms, a shocking message in a group chat is met not with instant belief but with checking first and judging after.
- Signs of fake newsFake news shows clear signs: shocking headlines like 'Shocking! 99% of people don't know this!'; unknown sources, with no origin or author; missing or very old dates; and urgent pleas to share at once. To check: search the keywords and see whether any reliable media or official body reports the same event; if nothing turns up, it is almost certainly fake. One extra minute of checking before forwarding protects you and stops the spread — and sharing unverified rumours may even carry legal consequences.
- Copyright and homeworkImages and text online are protected by copyright — 'it is on the internet' does not mean 'it is free to use'. When a presentation needs pictures, choose free-licence libraries, such as sites marked Creative Commons; in reports, express the material in your own words and list the sources at the end — this respects the creators and lets the teacher verify. Copy-pasting homework straight from the web is plagiarism, with consequences as serious as cheating in an exam. A good habit is to record the address and date while searching, which saves time when writing the reference list.
- Healthy habits: your bodyLong screen sessions make the body send warnings. Posture: keep the top of the screen level with or slightly below the eyes, at least 50 cm away; back against the chair, both feet flat on the floor. Eyes: every 20 minutes follow the 20-20-20 rule — look at something 20 feet (about 6 metres) away for 20 seconds to relax the eye muscles. Sleep: avoid screens in the hour before bed, because blue light suppresses melatonin and delays sleep. These habits look simple, yet kept up they clearly reduce dry eyes, neck pain and insomnia.
- Balancing timeGoing online is fine; the key is balance. Set yourself a daily screen-time limit, for example one hour on school days, and turn on the phone's screen-time statistics to see objectively how long you really use. Separate 'need to use' from 'just want to watch': homework and searching are needs; one short video after another is wanting. Get up, move and drink water every half hour, and keep time for sport, reading and family and friends. Compare the statistics a week later and the improvement shows clearly.
- Smart searchingSearching has tricks too. Put keywords in quotes to search an exact phrase, e.g. '2026 DSE exam timetable', and the results sharpen; adding site:gov.hk searches government sites only. Domains themselves give clues: .gov.hk is the government and .edu.hk an education institution — far more trustworthy than anonymous forums. Compare at least two or three sources before concluding, and for statistics, trace the original source. These habits lift the quality of what you find enormously.
4Diagrams Diagrams
5Worked example Example
Example: a WhatsApp group message says 'The government will cut the internet tonight for disinfection — forward to everyone!' How do you verify it?
- Step one, look at the source: the message names no origin, no official body and no link — already suspicious.
- Step two, search the keywords, e.g. 'government internet cut disinfection', and see whether any reliable media or government press release mentions the same event.
- Step three, read the tone: 'forward to everyone!' is the classic share-bait trick of fake news; official announcements never write like that.
- Step four, check the government news website or official social media accounts; if no official announcement exists, treat it as a rumour, do not forward it, and remind family and friends.
- Answer: Do not forward it. Verify by searching: check whether the message names a source or an official body, check the date, then look for the same announcement on the government website or in reliable media. 'Forward to everyone!' is the classic fake-news trick, and sharing unverified rumours may even carry legal consequences.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1What matters most for judging online information? A. a shocking headline B. share counts C. trusted source ＋ cross-checking
Q2What should you do every 20 minutes of screen time?
Q3Pasting web text straight into homework is called what, and what is right?
Q4Name two reliable places to verify information.
Q5Why avoid screens in the hour before bed?
8Recap Recap
- Five checks: source, evidence, date, cross-check, motive
- Shocking headline ＋ 'share now!' = fake news alarms
- Respect copyright: own words ＋ cited sources, never plagiarise
- 20-20-20 for eyes; set screen limits, less before bed
- Official websites and library databases are your best checking tools