Social media: help and harmCEFR A1
10 Nov 2025
Adapted from Safa, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Mariia Shalabaieva, Unsplash
- Social media helps people find information and groups.
- It gives support to marginalized people.
- It can also spread hate speech and lies.
- Algorithms show content that gets many clicks.
- Meta ended third-party fact-checking in January 2025.
- The company stopped some protections for LGBTQ+ users.
- AI can make realistic false images and texts.
- Some reporters use digital avatars for safety.
- Trust in news is falling among many people.
Difficult words
- media — Ways to share information and news.
- connect — To link or join with someone.
- information — Facts or details about something.
- friend — A person you like and trust.friends
- hurt — To cause pain or damage.
- share — To give part of something to others.
- bad — Not good or harmful.
- forget — To no longer remember something.
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How do you feel about social media?
- Can social media be helpful? Why or why not?
- What are some ways to find true information online?
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