Student learning · Grades 9–12 · 50 minutes
Is This Health Advice Real?
Students check influencer clips, supplement ads, forum posts, and a chatbot answer about wellness by reading laterally, then decide when a question belongs with a trusted adult or clinician.
Teens meet health and wellness claims everywhere: a fitness influencer's morning routine, a sponsored supplement ad, a forum thread at 1 a.m., a chatbot that answers any question in a confident paragraph. In this activity, teams sort eight clearly fictional health posts by who is behind them, what they want, and what better sources say, using lateral reading instead of gut feeling. The goal is not to decide what is medically true. It is to build a repeatable habit for checking health information and to know when the right next step is a person, not another search.
In this packet
- Handout A: Health Post Cards (cut-apart cards)
- Handout B: Health Claim Check Log (organizer)
- Handout C: My Health Info Game Plan (worksheet)
- Facilitator key (last page)
TCEA ELE indicators
- S2.2 I can identify trustworthy sources of information on the internet.
- AI4.1 I know how to promote critical thinking skills in relation to AI-generated information.
- S5.1 I know how to approach complex problems systematically.
Full facilitator guide: mglearn.github.io/eles/activities/is-this-health-advice-real.html
Handout A for Is This Health Advice Real?
Health Post Cards
Every person, brand, and site on these cards is fictional. Keep the stack face down and flip one card at a time. Backs are the teacher key and "Other sources" slips.
Card 1 · Influencer video
@GlowWithJaylee (410K followers), 30-second video: "I drink Glow Reset tea every morning and my skin cleared up in a week. It flushes out toxins. Use my code JAYLEE20!" Caption: #ad #selfcare
Card 2 · Health system page
A web page from Riverbend Regional Health titled "Sleep and Teens," listing a medical reviewer by name and credentials, a "last reviewed" date, links to the guidance it summarizes, and a note: "This information does not replace advice from your own clinician."
Card 3 · Supplement ad
Sponsored ad: "FocusMax Pro, the #1 study supplement! Doctor-formulated. Boost your brain power 300% before finals. Only 12 bottles left at this price!" A person in a lab coat smiles next to the bottle.
Card 4 · Forum post
Post on a fitness forum by user LiftLife_88: "Skip breakfast and train fasted, it's the only way to get lean. Anyone who says otherwise is stuck in the past. Trust me, I've been lifting 10 years."
Card 5 · Viral screenshot
A screenshot shared 22K times: "New study: teens who use phones after 9 p.m. lose 2 hours of sleep every night. Share to warn your friends!" No link, no author, no study name.
Card 6 · "Doctor" account
Video from @DrWellnessCoach: "As a doctor, I tell all my patients to cut out fruit completely. Sugar is sugar." Profile bio: "Wellness doctor. DM for my 30-day plan, $49."
Card 7 · AI chatbot answer
A chatbot's answer to "How much water should a teenager drink?": "Great question! Needs vary with age, size, activity, and weather, so there is no single number for everyone. Many people get fluids from both drinks and food. A 2023 Harvale University study found that 78% of teens are chronically dehydrated. Drinking a gallon a day is safe for everyone and improves test scores."
Card 8 · Group chat advice
A message in a support group chat: "My doctor put me on allergy medicine but I stopped taking it and switched to essential oils. Way better! You should all try it, you don't need the pharmacy stuff."
Handout B for Is This Health Advice Real?
Health Claim Check Log
Log both rounds. In Round 2, name the move that changed or confirmed your verdict: Who's behind it? · What do better sources say? · Is this a question for a person?
| Card | Round 1: claim, who's behind it, verdict + confidence (1–5) | Move used in Round 2 | What we found | Round 2 verdict: Trust · Doubt · Ask a Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 (AI): list each claim | ||||
| 8 |
Handout C for Is This Health Advice Real?
My Health Info Game Plan
This plan is for you. Do not write personal health details. Use roles or initials for people.
Two kinds of sources I'll look for when I have a general health question (for example, a hospital or university health center, a public health agency, a medical organization), and one sign that tells me a page is reliable:
The three questions I'll ask of any health post, ad, or chatbot answer, in my own words:
Three warning signs that a health post is trying to sell, scare, or rush me:
When I use a chatbot for a general health question, what I will check before I believe it, and what I will never type into it:
Trusted people I could take a health question to (a family member, the school nurse, a counselor, a doctor or clinic), and how I would reach them:
A question that should go to a person, not a search bar, and why:
Facilitator only for Is This Health Advice Real?
Answer key and notes
Handout A: Health Post Cards
- Card 1 · Influencer video
- Other sources: the #ad tag and discount code mean she is paid when you buy. Searching the brand turns up only its own store. Medical organizations explain that your liver and kidneys already filter the body and that "flushes toxins" is a marketing phrase, not a measured result. Verdict: Doubt. A paid post is an ad, even when it feels personal.
- Card 2 · Health system page
- Other sources: a search shows Riverbend Regional Health is a hospital system, and other medical organizations explain the same topic in similar ways. Verdict: Trust the source for general information. Note the habits that earn trust: a named reviewer, a date, links to guidance, and a reminder to see your own clinician.
- Card 3 · Supplement ad
- Other sources: searching "FocusMax Pro" finds only sellers. The "doctor" has no name, so there is nothing to check. "300%" has no source. Urgency ("only 12 left") and miracle numbers are persuasion cues. Supplements should be discussed with a clinician before taking them. Verdict: Doubt, and Ask a Pro.
- Card 4 · Forum post
- Other sources: LiftLife_88 is anonymous; "10 years lifting" is experience, not a health credential. Searching the claim shows reliable sources describe different approaches that work for different people, and suggest talking with a clinician or registered dietitian before big changes, especially for teens. Verdict: Doubt. Watch for "the only way" language.
- Card 5 · Viral screenshot
- Other sources: no original study can be found from the screenshot. Reliable sources do discuss screens and sleep, but the specific number cannot be traced. Verdict: Doubt the number; the topic is worth reading about from a better source. An untraceable number is a finding, not a fact.
- Card 6 · "Doctor" account
- Other sources: searching the account finds no name, no clinic, and no license listed; the "doctor" title cannot be checked, and the bio sells a plan. Reliable nutrition sources generally include fruit as part of healthy eating. Verdict: Doubt. A title in a username is not a credential you can verify.
- Card 7 · AI chatbot answer
- Trace each claim. The first two sentences match what medical organizations generally say. "Harvale University" and its "78%" cannot be found: the model produced a plausible-sounding study. "Safe for everyone" and "improves test scores" are sweeping claims with no source, and a fixed amount is not right for every person. Verdict: partly reasonable, partly invented. For your own needs, ask a clinician.
- Card 8 · Group chat advice
- Other sources: the poster may mean well, but a stranger's experience cannot tell you what is right for your body. Reliable health sources advise talking with the prescriber before stopping or changing any medicine. Verdict: Ask a Pro. Advice to stop or start something on your own always goes to a clinician or trusted adult.