An Open Mind & Critical Thinking: What We Can Pass On to Students

Kristijan Musek Lešnik
Nov 6, 2025
4 min read

Updated: Nov 26, 2025

In these days information is everywhere; wisdom isn’t. In a world of endless feeds, young people need to develop the ability to question sources, weigh evidence, and revise beliefs; they need tools and concrete routines for media literacy, bias awareness, and respectful disagreement.

“In a world of endless feeds, critical thinking and an open mind protect young people from misinformation”

Today’s children and teenagers are constantly flooded with digital information, AI-generated content, and endless stimuli. In this fast-moving digital world, it’s vital to help them approach the world — and the stream of information around them — with an open, curious, and critical mind.

In recent years, especially in the post-Covid era, the explosion of online opinions and “expertise” has revealed something deeply concerning: how easily an overwhelming flow of information can turn us from informed citizens into confused and misled consumers of information. Even among adults, many become trapped in online echo chambers, where they uncritically accept and share unchecked half-truths, fake news, and conspiracy theories. That’s why one of the most important tasks of education today is to nurture children as open-minded critical thinkers — capable of resisting manipulation and distinguishing trustworthy information from deceptive content in the flood that surrounds them.

Drowning in Information, Thirsty for Wisdom

Children and young people today aren’t merely surrounded by information —they are submerged in it. Facts, opinions, stories, emotions, half-truths, and lies — all are mixed in the same digital stream. The most toxic content often hides behind a seemingly innocent surface, dressed as truth or common sense.

Social media is full of people who seem certain they “know everything about everything.” Psychologists describe this as the Dunning–Kruger effect — when limited knowledge leads to overconfidence. In such a landscape, it’s often difficult to know whether we’re hearing from real people or AI bots, or to understand what agendas lie behind their claims.

In the pre-digital era — before social media algorithms and AI — more information usually meant more knowledge. Today, the opposite can be true: many people are so flooded with data that their ability to think critically actually shrinks. That’s why so many hold strong opinions about whatever crosses their screens, yet rarely pause to ask:

“Is this true?”
“Where does this come from?”
“Do I actually understand it?”

Instead of weighing evidence, many discussions now revolve around who is right rather than what is right. The power of arguments is giving way to the argument of power.

The Internet: A Gift with a Catch

The internet is extraordinary. It provides children and youth with access to knowledge, ideas, and voices from every corner of the world — free from editorial filters or censorship.

But that freedom comes with a price: there are no labels telling them which sources are credible and which are nonsense, manipulative, or extreme.

When emotions, stereotypes, or fear take over, young people can become easy prey for misinformation — and for those who profit from spreading it. That’s why helping them develop critical thinking, sound judgment, and a solid foundation of knowledge is so essential — it keeps their minds open, reflective, and aware of their own limits.

So of the greatest gifts we can give children through the education is the ability to:

question information,
distinguish truth from falsehood, and
recognize when someone is trying to manipulate them under the mask of “informing.”

This is why it’s so important to talk openly about critical thinking and open-mindedness with them. Critical thinking and knowledge are their best protection — a shield against the dangers of ignorance and manipulation.

At the same time, we must respect each child’s developmental stage. Critical thinking depends on the ability to think abstractly and see beyond the surface. It grows gradually — through questioning, reflection, and the freedom to make sense of the world independently.

When Emotions Replace Thinking

The more confused, frustrated, and anxious we are, the more easily we lose the inner guardrails that protect us from nonsense. Fear, anger, and bias begin to drive our thinking — and we drift into extremes we would once have dismissed as absurd.

We’ve all seen it happen: people who “know everything” about how teachers should teach (though they’ve never taught a class), or about psychology (though they’ve never read a single study), or about medicine (claiming to “know better” than medical professionals ).

It’s easy to laugh at it — until we realize how fragile truth becomes when everyone is an expert and no one listens.

How to Nurture Open-Minded and Critical Thinkers

Encourage questions, not obedience. Welcome curiosity — even when it challenges your own views.
Teach them to check sources. Who wrote this? Why? What do they gain if I believe it?
Discuss how the internet works. Explain algorithms, confirmation bias, and how “echo chambers” reinforce beliefs.
Model humility. Show that it’s okay to say, “I don’t know — let’s find out.”
Celebrate thoughtful disagreement. Teach that respectful debate is a sign of intelligence, not arrogance.
Use real-world examples. Analyze advertisements, news stories, or viral posts together.
Remind them that truth isn’t always popular — but it matters.

How to Keep Your Own Mind Open

Read beyond your comfort zone. Seek out perspectives that differ from your own.
Pause before reacting. Ask yourself: “Is this a fact, or just a feeling?”
Admit uncertainty. It’s not weakness — it’s wisdom.
Learn continuously. Let curiosity lead, even when it challenges your assumptions.
Engage with people who think differently — and listen to them.
Think slowly. Feel deeply. Respond wisely.

In the End

Critical thinking is not about being cynical —it’s about being curious, humble, and awake.

An open mind is not an empty one —it’s one that keeps searching, weighing, and learning.

When we teach young people to think for themselves, we don’t just prepare them for tests —we prepare them for life. Because in a world full of noise, the greatest strength is not to know everything, but to keep asking good questions.