Teachers face task of deprogramming kids brainwashed with Trump and QAnon conspiracies during shutdowns

Teachers across the country are facing the task of dealing with students who were exposed to conspiracy theories during the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns, CNBC reported Saturday.

CNBC reporter Salvador Rodriguez interviewed Sarah Wildes, who teaches seventh grade science and technology in Alabama. She described being asked about the results of the 2020 presidential election, which was won by Joe Biden even though Donald Trump continues to lie about the election.

"I have to tread lightly, but I pointed out that we do know," Wildes said. "There are facts. There have been committees who reviewed the election. The numbers show us a truth, but the social media bubbles confuse us about that truth."

Wildes explained how the shutdowns made misinformation worse for students.

"They were at home consuming this information without really being able to bust out of their own bubble having been in quarantine," Wildes said. "They were starved for guidance on how to navigate all the things that they were seeing."

Wildes has been using the Checkology program by the News Literacy Project.

Teachers across the country are facing the same problem, with many having not had in-person classes for 16 months.

"Since the last time full classrooms congregated, a whole industry of misinformation has exploded online, spreading conspiracy theories on everything from the alleged steal of the presidential election, which Joe Biden won, to the prevalence of microchips in Covid-19 vaccines," CNBC reported. "It's bad enough that kids are exposed to dangerous untruths across their favorite social media apps like Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. An equally large problem is that, while stuck at home during the pandemic, many students had their days of virtual schooling interrupted by screaming parents, who themselves had fallen deep into the internet's darkest rabbit holes."

The report noted 15% of Americans believe in the QAnon conspiracy theories.