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Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
August 2020

Dissecting social media: What you should know


Looking at computer and phone - Parents PACK August 2020Have you checked your Facebook News Feed recently? Watched a YouTube video? Posted on Instagram? Sent a Tweet? If so, you are among the 3.5 billion people worldwide who actively use social media.

Social media users generate a massive amount of information, from personal posts, photos and videos, to blogs, DIY articles and much more. While some content aims to entertain or inform, other information is intentionally meant to mislead or deceive. Those who intend to mislead rely on people sharing their messages to spread misinformation. As a result, it’s important to critically evaluate any information you see before sharing it further. 

So, how can you tell which information is valid and which is not? 

Read the article to find some simple tips for checking: 

  • Headlines
  • Authors
  • Sources
  • Content
  • Visuals

Plus see some examples, and find resources that can help.

With a quick review, not only can you learn more about the reliability of what you are seeing, you can also help decrease the amount of bad information received by those in your network.

News & Notes


New webpage — COVIDVaccineAnswers.org

Do you have questions about COVID-19 and the vaccines being developed to prevent it? The Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (VEC) has compiled a list of common questions on its dedicated COVIDVaccineAnswers.org webpage. Current topics covered include: 

  • COVID-19 vaccines
  • COVID-19 vaccine studies
  • COVID-19 vaccine availability
  • COVID-19 vaccine safety
  • COVID-19 vaccine news

If you don’t see an answer to your question, please use the online form included on the webpage to submit your question. The VEC will respond to you as well as post a de-identified version of the question on the page, so that others can benefit from the answer as well.

Please consider sharing COVIDVaccineAnswers.org with your family and friends.

“Families and Vaccines: When Opinions Differ”

Do you know a family member whose opinion on vaccines differs from yours? Differences in opinions between families are particularly tricky as they can negatively impact specific relationships and affect the family at large. Recently, the VEC used a previously published Parents PACK article to develop, “Families and Vaccines: When Opinions Differ.” The shareable file provides helpful tips on how families who disagree about vaccines can handle conversations and differences in decision-making. How to protect unvaccinated family members and a list of sources for reliable vaccine information are also included.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month

National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is a great time to check whether your family is up to date on vaccines, particularly since many children fell behind on vaccinations during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Call your healthcare provider today to see if your child — or the adults in your family — need any vaccines.

Worried about visiting medical centers during the pandemic? Check out the VEC’s webpage for tips and considerations related to medical visits, vaccinations, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just the Vax Trivia Corner

Which famous inventor wished he supported smallpox variolation after his son later died of the disease?   

  1. Thomas Jefferson
  2. Benjamin Franklin
  3. Roger Bacon
  4. Michael Faraday
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