Children’s Internet Safety 41 WHAT IS MISINFORMATION? Learn about fake news and its impact on children What forms can misinformation or 'fake news' take? Misinformation comes in different forms. Mis/disinformation and fake news might look like: • social media hoaxes • AI adverts • phishing emails • popular videos • sponsored posts Misinformation is hard to spot for children who might not yet have the skills to fact-check. It can spread on social media, through satire news websites, via parody videos and other spaces. What does the research say? • 32% of 8-17-year-olds believe that all or most of what they see on social media is true. • 70% of 12-17s said they were confident they could judge whether something was real or fake. • Nearly a quarter of those children were unable to do so in practise. This mismatch between confidence and ability could leave these children exposed to harm. On a more positive point, of those who said they were confident, 48% were also able. How does misinformation impact children? Mis/disinformation is an online harm. Misinformation can impact children’s: • mental health • physical wellbeing • future finances • views towards other people. It can also lead to mistrust and confusion related to the information they come across online. With so many sources of information online, some children might struggle to make sense of what is true. Fake news vs misinformation Fake news is not the preferred term. ‘Fake news’ refers to false information and news online. However, it’s more appropriate to use ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’. Misinformation is false information spread by people who think it’s true. Disinformation is false information spread by people who know it’s false.
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