How can families explain algorithm bias that promotes un-Islamic values while hiding beneficial content? 

Parenting Perspective 

Modern digital platforms are driven by algorithms that promote content based on popularity and engagement, not on truth, morality, or spiritual benefit. This frequently results in un-Islamic values like materialism or indecency being widely promoted, while modest and faith-based content is often buried. Teenagers can easily assume that what they see most is ‘normal’ or ‘better,’ without realising how these systems are designed. Families can address this by teaching critical awareness and guiding children to be intentional consumers of media. 

Explain How Algorithms Work Simply 

Explain to your child in simple terms: ‘The apps you use are designed to show you more of what you click on, not what is best for you. If you watch one type of video, the system will keep suggesting similar ones, even if they are not beneficial.’ This helps them to understand that the content that seems to be ‘everywhere’ online is a personalised feed, not an accurate reflection of reality. 

Encourage Intentional Choices 

Remind your child that every click and every view helps to shape what the algorithm shows them next. You can empower them by saying: ‘If you engage with harmful content, you are training the app to give you more of it. But if you actively follow Quran recitations, beneficial lectures, or positive reminders, the app will start sending you more good content.’ This puts the power back into their hands. 

Teach Critical Thinking About ‘Trends’ 

Help your teenagers to question why certain lifestyles, products, or behaviours are being promoted so heavily online. Encourage them to ask critical questions: ‘Does this content align with our family’s values, or is it just designed to make money for a company?’ This builds their awareness and helps them to shift from passive consumption to active, critical thinking. 

Create Positive Family Media Habits 

Make it a family practice to follow beneficial Islamic or educational accounts together. Take the time to discuss inspiring or interesting content that you find. Sharing positive examples is a powerful way to show children that the digital world can be a source of immense good when it is approached with wisdom. 

By teaching your children to be aware of algorithmic bias, you empower them to see online platforms as tools that they can master, rather than as traps they can be consumed by. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam warns against the danger of blindly following the crowd and reminds believers to filter all external influences through the lens of their faith. Since algorithms primarily reflect popular human desires and trends rather than divine guidance, the need for spiritual discernment becomes even more critical. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al An’aam (6), Verses 116: 

‘…And if you obey (the opinions) of the vast majority of those (who live) on the Earth, you will be mislead from the pathway towards Allah (Almighty); they do not follow anything except (whimsical) assumptions…’ 

This verse serves as a timeless caution that popular opinion and majority trends are not reliable measures of truth and are often misaligned with the path of Allah. 

It is recorded in Sahih Bukhari, 5534, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘The example of a good companion and a bad companion is like that of the seller of musk and the blacksmith’ 

This beautiful analogy teaches us that everything we expose ourselves to has an influence on our hearts. In the digital age, the content that algorithms feed us is a form of digital ‘company’ that can either uplift our souls or tarnish them. 

By grounding these discussions in both faith and practical awareness, families can help children to understand that algorithms are not neutral guides, but are reflections of worldly values that they must learn to consciously filter. Over time, this nurtures a form of media literacy that is rooted in a strong Islamic identity, protecting teenagers from the passive absorption of harmful norms.