If teachers don’t step in, pupils researching the topic themselves may fall prey to conspiracy theories
Schoolchildren must be properly taught about the September 11 terrorist attacks to stop them from researching the event themselves and falling down “dangerous rabbit holes” of online conspiracy theories, say experts.
“If schools don’t play a role then other people with other agendas will try to sell their worldviews to young people … 9/11 brings out that tension,” said Jeremy Hayward, a researcher at University College London, who recently authored a report on conspiracy theories in schools.
But, 20 years after the attacks, recent research from UCL shows that teachers lack the time, resources and training to properly teach pupils about the event and its consequences.
Although 9/11 is often taught in citizenship classes, Hayward said some teachers are deterred by the sensitivities involved, especially given that the course is often not taught by subject specialists. History teachers, who are more likely to be appropriately trained, struggle to find time in an already packed curriculum.
Hayward warned that failing to teach pupils, who are all born after 2001, about the event leaves a gap in their knowledge that other groups may fill. “This is an important area to teach because it can be an opportunity to challenge, to see whether people are going down sometimes quite dangerous rabbit holes and maybe to act.”
Teaching about 9/11 is especially important at present, he added, given that conspiracy theories have risen in popularity among pupils during the pandemic, particularly those related to QAnon – a wide-ranging movement that subscribes to the idea the attacks were a government plot.
