Raising Truth Sleuths: Helping kids spot misinformation and disinformation about Parliament

Abstract

Children today navigate an online environment where misleading, inaccurate, and intentionally deceptive information is increasingly common. Truth Sleuths: Uncovering Misinformation and Disinformation About Parliament is a new interactive learning resource from the Parliament of Canada designed for learners aged 9–12 to help them identify reliable from unreliable content about Parliament and the legislative process and build early information evaluation skills. Through a game based investigation, students take on the role of "Truth Sleuths" tasked with researching a proposed law while encountering a mix of trustworthy, biased, and false sources. The resource introduces essential media literacy concepts including verifying sources, distinguishing fact from opinion, recognizing AI generated content, and cross checking information, within an engaging, accessible format suitable for diverse educational settings. A companion lesson plan and teacher guide support classroom integration and align with widely shared civic education outcomes across Canada. This presentation will demonstrate the game, outline the pedagogical approach behind its design, and discuss how tools like Truth Sleuths can strengthen civic literacy and help young people develop resilience against misinformation related to democratic institutions. It will also highlight opportunities for legislative libraries to work with educators to adapt similar approaches in their own outreach and learning programs.