TEACHING TEENAGERS TO USE CRITICAL THINKING

In The Times newspaper of 25 January 2025, the social scientist and researcher, Matilda Gosling (author of ‘Teenagers: The Evidence Base’), stressed the value of critical thinking for young people. In talking about the issue of social media, she says ’if there’s one skill to teach a teen when it comes to social media, it’s critical thinking.’

The article stresses that ‘thinking critically helps promote mental resilience and safety. It enables teens to have better relationships, to be flexible and open to others’ ideas, to recognise bias in their own positions, and to question what they see or are told.’

Gosling advises parents to ‘Encourage a perspective where there is not just one right way to think. It’s fine to disagree, it makes everything richer. Parents can lead by overt example: if you’re talking at dinner, you could say, “I don’t actually agree with that but it’s an interesting point, so tell me more.” And show them that it’s OK to change your mind if new information comes in.’