Online, misinformation can be found everywhere. This includes fake products for sale, false lifestyle posts on social networking accounts, and fake news regarding health and politics.
The misinformation we receive affects not only our beliefs, but also our behaviour. For example, it can influence how people behave in elections or whether they plan to get vaccinated.
Since anyone can share content online, and without the verification or fact-checking processes typical of traditional media, there has been a proliferation of misinformation.
It is especially important because young people are increasingly turning to social media as a source for news, and also as a Search Engine. Teenagers are unable to judge the accuracy of content on social media despite the fact that they use it frequently.
In a 2022 report by media watchdog Ofcom, only 11% 11-17 year olds were able to reliably identify the signs that a post is genuine.
In my research, I have explored the understanding of misinformation by teenagers online. I asked 37 11-to-14-year-olds their opinions on misinformation in focus groups.
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The young people I studied tended to believe – incorrectly – that misinformation only concerned world events and scams. They believed they did not personally see much misinformation.
One person said, “[My Instagram] doesn’t really mean ‘this is what’s happening in the world.’ It’s more like life.” They may be more susceptible to misinformation, as they only pay attention in these areas.
The confidence level of the participants in spotting false information varied widely. Some people were confident about their abilities. One person said, “I don’t believe it.”
Other people admitted that they were easily fooled. This was a surprising finding as prior research indicated that people are confident in their ability to identify misinformation.
The majority of people did not cross-reference what they read to other news sources. Instead, they relied on their intuition (you just know it when you see it) or what other people said in the comment section to identify misinformation. These strategies are not likely to be very reliable.
Typically, relying on gut feelings means relying on cognitive shortcuts, such as: “I trust her so I’m going to trust her post”, or “the site looks professional so it must be trustworthy”. It is easy to spread false information when people use this method.
A study conducted by Ofcom revealed that only 22% adults could identify the signs of a real post. It is therefore not a good idea to rely on others to tell you what’s true and what’s false.
Intriguingly, teens in the study viewed older adults, especially grandparents, as being particularly susceptible to false information. They also believed that their parents were better at spotting false information than themselves. “[Parents] don’t trust it, and don’t worry about it,” said one.
This was unexpected. It was unexpected.
Take responsibility
We talked about who was responsible for challenging misinformation on the internet. They were reluctant to do it themselves. They believed it wouldn’t make any difference, or feared being targeted online or offline if they challenged the issue.
They believed instead that governments should stop spreading misinformation, “because they know what wars are taking place”. Older participants believed that there would be protests if the government played a major role in stopping misinformation, as it was perceived as censorship.
The platforms also believed that they should be responsible for stopping the spread of false information to protect their reputation and to prevent people from panicking about fake news.
My colleagues and I, in light of these findings have created a program that works with youth to develop resources for them to improve their skills at spotting false information and staying safe on the internet. We work closely to find out what young people are concerned about and how they would like to learn more.
Our materials are also based on real challenges, and we work with organisations like Police Scotland and Education Scotland in order to make sure they reflect the needs of both teachers and young people.
Yvonne Skipper received funding from Education Scotland, the ESRC and British Academy.
