Guidance to Help Jewish Students Engage Responsibly with Social Media

Protect Personal Privacy

Review privacy settings with students to ensure they understand who can see their posts, photos, and personal information. Remind them never to share sensitive details, such as their address, phone number, or school location. A private account offers an extra layer of safety in managing who interacts with their content.

Verify Through AI Literacy

Generative AI has made it easier to fabricate quotes, doctor images, and produce convincing fake videos, including content designed to spread antisemitic narratives or distort real events involving Jews and Israel. During breaking news or moments of crisis, false or AI-manipulated content tends to spread fastest, often before it can be fact-checked. Encourage students to check the original source before trusting or sharing a post, learn to recognize signs of AI-generated images or videos, and pause before amplifying breaking news that hasn't been verified by a credible outlet. Practicing this kind of AI literacy is an increasingly essential part of navigating antisemitism online.

Understand Common Online Dog Whistles

Antisemitic content is often cloaked in seemingly benign symbols or numbers as a form of covert content intended to avoid detection by moderation systems. Educators and parents can help students understand these symbols and how to recognize when they are used maliciously. Use AJC’s Translate Hate glossary to identify antisemitic tropes and memes. Students should be aware of the following:

• Watermelon emoji: Widely used as a pro-Palestinian symbol, it can become a form of harassment or intimidation when placed in threads with Jewish-related content.
• Nose emoji: A reference to antisemitic stereotypes about Jewish facial features.
• 88 or HH: Code for "Heil Hitler" using the 8th letter of the alphabet.
• 109: A reference to the number of countries that have expelled Jews, and a suggestion that there should be more.
• 6MWE: Shorthand for "6 Million Wasn't Enough"; referencing the number of Jews murdered in the Holocaust and suggesting there should be more.
• Octopus, rat, snake, and pig emojis: Animals used to dehumanize Jews and perpetuate conspiracy myths about Jewish world control, filth, and deceitfulness.
• Juice box emoji: Used as a coded message for "Jews."
• Triple parentheses around (((name))): Used to target Jewish individuals.

Avoid Online Arguments

Encourage students to refrain from debating antisemitism or Israel-related issues in comment threads or posts. Engaging with inflammatory content often boosts its visibility, and public comment sections rarely change minds. Instead, guide students to save those conversations for face-to-face discussions where tone, nuance, and empathy can lead to more meaningful dialogue. Promote the idea of counsel vs. cancel: instead of calling out an antisemitic post, share in real life how that content makes you feel. 

Curate Your Digital Space

Encourage students to follow accounts who share trustworthy and fact-based content that they find valuable, and to like and reshare that content. The only way to help important content break through is by rewarding it through interaction. This in turn teaches the platform what you want to see and that is what it will push to you. AJC’s social media accounts are excellent sources of verified information presented in a nuanced and careful way. Follow us at Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  

On the flip side, students should also feel empowered to unfollow, mute, or block accounts that regularly share content that is distressing, offensive, hateful, or violent. Blocking accounts that promote such content is a protective step students can take immediately. While it's valuable to be exposed to diverse perspectives, no one should feel obligated to “hate-follow” voices that consistently make them feel targeted or unsafe. Emotional well-being matters, especially online.

Report Hate Speech and Antisemitism

Social media platforms allow users to report hate speech, threats, and misinformation. Educators and parents should teach students how to use these tools to report posts or accounts that violate community standards. 

• Reporting is crucial: AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Report revealed that over half (52%) of American Jews under the age of 30 who experienced antisemitism online did not report it. Learn how to report on different social media platforms by exploring AJC’s Reporting Antisemitism Guidance.

Know When to Ask for Help

If a student encounters hateful or threatening content targeting their Jewish identity, political beliefs, sexual orientation, race, or gender, they should never feel they need to handle it alone. Encourage them to speak immediately with a trusted adult, such as a parent, teacher, school counselor, or advisor, who can help report the incident and provide guidance on next steps.

Respond with Curiosity, Not Combativeness

If a student feels safe doing so, encourage them to personally approach peers who share offensive content with openness and curiosity. A respectful question like “I’m curious, what led you to share this?” can open the door to learning. Many students share content without considering the context, the creator, or the impact on their peers. Honest conversation can lead to real and positive impact.

Encourage Empathy and Thoughtful Posting

Before posting, students should consider how their content might affect others. Teach them to think critically about context, emotional impact, and tone, which is often distorted or misinterpreted online. Encourage empathy—what they share may have a profound influence on their peers' feelings and perceptions.

Balance the Digital Landscape with Positivity

Students can rebalance their social media feeds by actively following uplifting, joyful, or inspiring accounts related to humor, creativity, spirituality, or culture. Encourage students to engage with accounts that promote Jewish joy. While it’s important to stay informed, it’s equally essential to find content that brings light, not just heat, to their digital world.

Know When to Log Off

Help students recognize when it’s time to step away from social media. Setting screen time limits or taking breaks, especially during stressful news cycles, can protect mental and emotional health. Balance, not avoidance, is the goal.