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Is it fair and authentic? Representation in online media
Child Safeguarding Statement
Some resources and activities may prompt a child to remember and potentially share an experience of harm. Make sure you’re familiar with your school's safeguarding policies and procedures so you can confidently report safety and well-being concerns.
Prepare students for the session by discussing: their right to be safe and respected; what to do if discussing online safety makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe; and how to seek help if they feel or have felt unsafe. Use this resource available on the website.
Is it fair and authentic? Representation in online media
Overview
This lesson empowers learners to critically examine media through the lenses of fairness, authenticity, and inclusion. Using real-world examples like movie posters, book covers, advertisements, and articles, learners will explore the importance of fair representation in media and its connection to child rights.
This lesson aligns with and promotes several principles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It supports the right to freely express one’s identity and individuality (Article 13) by encouraging learners to explore and discuss what fair and authentic representation means to them. The lesson also upholds the right to enjoy and share one’s culture, language, and religion (Article 30) by analysing how media can reflect and respect diversity in meaningful ways. Additionally, it fosters access to reliable information (Article 17) by guiding learners to critically evaluate media content for fairness and accuracy, helping them become responsible and informed media consumers.
Estimated time: 80 minutes (or two 40 minute lessons)
This lesson is part of the FREE digital licence program
Learning Intentions
Learners will:
- Understand the concept of child rights, particularly the right to fair representation in media.
- Explain why fair and authentic representation matters in media.
These intentions are evidenced when learners can:
- Explain the concept of “identity” and how this relates to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
- Provide at least one example of how media can be fair and authentic.
Educators will:
- Facilitate learner understanding of child rights, focusing on the right to fair and authentic representation in media.
- Guide learners in critically analysing media using the principles of fairness and authenticity.
These intentions are evidenced when educators can:
- Use effective questioning and discussion to help learners connect media representation to child rights, including gender, age and inclusion.
- Observe learners identifying and describing key elements of fairness and authenticity in media.
Lesson Instructions
Part 1: Introduction to child rights and media representation
Help learners think about their identity and fair representation.
The internet is like a mirror that should reflect everyone’s unique stories. But sometimes, it doesn’t show everyone fairly. Today, we’ll talk about what makes representation fair and why it’s important to include and value everyone.
Ask (think/pair/share or individually)
If someone told your story online, what are four things you’d want them to get right? Would it be about your hobbies, family, culture, or something special about you?
Once learners have written down four things, share and discuss why it is important to show that part of themselves.
Define identity
Explain that all of the things they listed form an important part of their own identity. Come up with a class definition of the term and discuss: Do we have just one identity, or multiple? And, how would it feel for those parts of us to be shown unfairly or inauthentically?
Explain child rights and link to fairness in media representation.
Introduce child rights using the UNICEF Australia poster provided.
- Child rights protect every child and ensure fairness. One right is to share your culture, language and religion.
Ask (think/pair/share or individually)
Which rights could be affected by unfair or inaccurate representation online? Focus on Article 30: “You have the right to share your culture, language, and religion.”
Brainstorm
- Why is it important to share your culture, language or religion?
- How can kids share these things online?
- How can media companies or organisations do better to make things fair and authentic?
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Part 2: Media analysis
Discuss
When we look at media, there are different ways we can think about fairness and authenticity. These are like lenses that help us see things in a certain way. Here are four examples:
- Gender: Are boys and girls shown in different roles? Are they treated equally?
- Age: Are kids, teens, and adults all included? Are older people shown as important too?
- Inclusion: Are people with disabilities or from different backgrounds included? Are they shown respectfully?
- Culture: Are different cultural backgrounds shown? Are they represented accurately? Were people from those cultures involved in writing or creating media about it?
Find (think/pair/share or individually)
Using a tablet or computer, encourage learners to explore websites like ABC Kids, Common Sense Media or National Geographic Kids to find a piece of media that interests them. This could be a movie poster, book cover, advertisement or article. Learners can pick something that stands out as a good or bad example of fairness and authenticity. They might consider things like gender balance, diversity and inclusion.
Examples
- Movie Posters: Do they include different types of people?
- Toy advertisements: Is there an equal focus on boys and girls? Could it include kids with disabilities?
- Articles about different cultures: Does the article include voices or perspectives from those communities?
Fill in the media analysis worksheet (Slide 6)
Once completed, each pair/group shares their example and findings. Discuss common patterns:
- Were there examples of good and fair representation?
- Are certain groups frequently left out or misrepresented?
- What makes some examples better than others?
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Exit pass
In-class activity or set as homework.
Create a “Better Media Ideas” board: Use sticky notes or a digital tool to compile ideas for improving media representation. Each learner should have at least one suggestion. Learners can take the prompt home to parents, carers, or a trusted adult so they can also contribute a suggestion to the discussion.
Prompt: “What should media creators do to make representations fair and authentic?”
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(Optional) Top-up or extend the lesson
Top-up the lesson
For learners who need more help meeting the learning intentions & success criteria.
Support learners to complete the word finder worksheet (Slide 8) to enhance their understanding of key words and concepts. This activity can be done throughout the lesson as new terms come up. Alternatively, it can be used as an additional activity after the lesson to reinforce understanding.
Extend the lesson
For learners who have met the learning intentions & success criteria and need a bit more of a challenge.
Have learners create their own inclusive media poster, book cover, or ad as a follow-up activity using the "Better Media Ideas" board in the Exit Pass for inspiration.
Aligned Curriculum
Australian Curriculum (Version 9.0)
The Australian Curriculum outlines the fundamental knowledge, comprehension, and abilities students are expected to acquire as they advance through the initial 11 years of schooling.
Year 5: English
- AC9E5LA01: Understand that language is selected for social contexts and that it helps to signal social roles and relationships.
- AC9E5LA02: Understand how to move beyond making bare assertions by taking account of differing ideas or opinions and authoritative sources.
- AC9E5LA07: Explain how the sequence of images in print, digital and film texts has an effect on meaning.
- AC9E5LY02: Use appropriate interaction skills including paraphrasing and questioning to clarify meaning, make connections to own experience, and present and justify an opinion or idea.
- AC9E5LY03: Explain characteristic features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text.
- AC9E5LY05: Use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring and questioning to build literal and inferred meaning to evaluate information and ideas.
Year 6: English
- AC9E6LA02: Understand the uses of objective and subjective language, and identify bias.
- AC9E6LA07: Identify and explain how images, figures, tables, diagrams, maps and graphs contribute to meaning.
- AC9E6LY01: Examine texts including media texts that represent ideas and events, and identify how they reflect the context in which they were created.
- AC9E6LY02: Use interaction skills and awareness of formality when paraphrasing, questioning, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, and sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions.
- AC9E6LY03: Analyse how text structures and language features work together to meet the purpose of a text, and engage and influence audiences.
- AC9E6LY05: Use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring and questioning to build literal and inferred meaning, and to connect and compare content from a variety of sources.
Years 5 & 6: Health and Physical Education
- AC9HP6P01: Explain how identities can be influenced by people and places, and how we can create positive self-identities.
- AC9HP6P03: Investigate how the portrayal of societal roles and responsibilities can be influenced by gender stereotypes.
- AC9HP6P04: Describe and demonstrate how respect and empathy can be expressed to positively influence. relationships
- AC9HP6P08: Analyse and rehearse protective behaviours and help-seeking strategies that can be used in a range of online and offline situations.
- AC9HP6P10: Analyse how behaviours influence the health, safety, relationships and wellbeing of individuals and communities.
Years 5 & 6: Media Arts
- AC9AMA6E01: Explore ways that media languages and media technologies are used in media arts works and practices across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts.
My Time, Our Place – Framework for School Age Care in Australia
This framework assists educators to provide children and young people with opportunities to maximise their potential and develop a foundation for successful lifelong learning. The Framework has been designed for use by approved providers and school age care educators working in partnership with children and young people, their families and the community, including schools.
Outcome 1: Children and young people have a strong sense of identity.
Children learn to understand their role in digital spaces and how they interact with others safely and respectfully. This is evident when children:
- Develop awareness of their personal boundaries online and demonstrate respect for the boundaries of others.
- Explore ways to protect their identity and privacy in digital environments.
Outcome 2: Children and young people are connected with and contribute to their world.
Children learn about the impact of their actions in online communities and how to engage positively. This is evident when children:
- Recognise the importance of fair and authentic interactions in online games and communities.
- Identify ways to contribute safely and responsibly to shared digital spaces.
CASEL Framework
This Framework creates a foundation for applying evidence-based, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies both at school and in the broader community. Its aim is to support the cultivation of SEL skills and environments that advance students’ learning and development.
- Social awareness: The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathise with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacities to feel compassion for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behaviour in different settings, and recognise family, school, and community resources and supports.
Bournemouth University Theory of Change
This project, funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of the UK government's Online Literacy Media Strategy, aims to empower people to stay safe online by being able to critically evaluate what they see and read on the internet. It offers a transferable and sustainable framework and methodology that can not only be used for the independent evaluation of media literacy projects but also to inform their future design.
- Awareness: Media literacy enables people to have a critical awareness of how media and information represent people, events, issues and places. On a larger scale, media literacy helps us to understand how the media environment we are engaging with is constructed, for example in terms of how diverse it is, who owns or controls different media sources and how digital and social media is governed, designed and manipulated. Media literacy also involves critical awareness about the role of data and algorithms in everyday life and with regard to citizenship, education, work and health.
National Association of Media Literacy Education (NAMLE)
The NAMLE Framework outlines the foundational concepts and principles for teaching and learning about media literacy. Media literacy, as defined by NAMLE, is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication.
Core Principle 1
- 1.2: Media Literacy Education (MLE) intersects with other literacies, such as information, digital, and social-emotional literacies.
- 1.4: MLE values inquiry of contemporary media experiences that are culturally relevant in both the learning environment and the everyday lives of learners.
Core Principle 2
- 2.1: MLE teaches that all media experiences are constructed and prepares people to engage in critical analysis and reflection of these experiences.
- 2.3: MLE helps learners identify biases within their own and others’ media experiences.
Core Principle 9
- 9.3: MLE amplifies historically marginalised voices by including opportunities to examine cross-cultural media and international perspectives.
- 9.4: MLE explores issues of representations such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, ability, and socio-economic status.
Differentiate the lesson by assessing the discussion. Modify instruction as appropriate, based on whether learners can:
- Identify key concepts: fairness, authenticity, and child rights.
- Connect rights to media representation.
Options:
- Play the video “What are Child Rights?” by UNICEF Australia to help unpack the concept of child rights.
- Revisit key terms using simple examples (e.g. fair = making sure everyone gets a turn in a game).
- Share specific examples of media that highlight or neglect diverse perspectives.
Observe activity participation. Modify instruction if learners struggle to:
- Locate examples of media that represent people, groups, or cultures.
- Articulate why a representation feels fair or unfair.
Options:
- Simplify the task by pre-selecting media examples and focusing on only one lens for them to consider in their media analysis.
- Pair learners strategically to enable peer knowledge transfer.
- Stretch: Visit a site such as ABC News Fact Check or Reuters Fact Check to find examples of biased or stereotypical misinformation and discuss.
Assess the “Exit pass” to ensure learners have met the following success criteria:
Explain the concept of “identity” and how this relates to the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Provide at least one example of how media can be fair and authentic.
Next steps
If some learners didn’t meet the criteria, do the “Top-up” activity in the following section. Discussion about the lesson’s themes can be continued at home, by setting the extension task as homework.
Important Note
If this lesson is part of the eSmart Digital Licence, you’ll need to ensure that all learners have met the success criteria before accessing the Digital Licences.
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