Most teenagers know social media hides false conspiracy theories and fake videos. Valerie Ziegler’s students at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco are learning how to spot these tricks. She teaches government, economy, and history classes that use real examples from TikTok and Instagram. Students check facts, study influencers’ motives, and learn to tell deepfakes from real footage. Ziegler, 50, and her fellow California teachers lead the way in digital literacy as social media becomes harder to trust. Platforms have less content moderation, and AI creates very convincing fake videos. California plans official digital literacy standards by 2026 but schools can't wait. Teachers build lessons from nonprofits and adjust old courses to face new tech like video AI. Their hands-on methods help students question viral content and understand that having many followers doesn’t guarantee trustworthiness. Former teacher of the year Ziegler explains, "We're sending these kids out into the world, and we're supposed to have provided them skills. The tricky part is that we adults are learning this skill at the same time the kids are." A News Literacy Project survey found that in 2023, 4 in 10 teens got media literacy lessons, but 8 in 10 saw a conspiracy theory online, many believing some. Students learn to watch for clues, like overly smooth visuals or suspicious verification badges. Teen Xavier Malizia said, "That's the starting point," for checking info. Elisha Tuerk-Levy found realistic AI videos "jarring" but noted visual clues helped spot fakes. Policymakers are noticing too. Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy urged schools to teach digital literacy in 2023. Over 25 states passed related laws, but many are voluntary or too slow. California lawmaker Marc Berman said, "It's about really strengthening those foundational skills so that no matter what tech pops up between now and then, young people have the ability to handle it."