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Thursday, August 24th, 2023

Teens much more likely to believe online conspiracy claims than adults – US study

Author:     Kari Paul
Source:     The Guardian (U.K.)
Publication Date:     Wed 16 Aug 2023 | 21.55 EDT
 Link: Teens much more likely to believe online conspiracy claims than adults – US study
Stephan:  

If you read me regularly you know I am increasingly concerned about the weaponization of misinformation, particularly give the development of AI. This study shows just how easily and how widely misinformation can be used to shape the thinking of people who access information largely through social media. This is a huge issue, in my mind, and could end up warping the 2024 election outcome particularly because it can indoctrinate the youth vote. Scary stuff.

Recent data from Google found that 40% of Gen Z now prefers platforms like TikTok and Instagram to traditional search engines. Credit: Yui Mok / PA

Teenagers are significantly more likely to believe online conspiracy theories than older generations, a new study has shown, underscoring the broad impacts of gen Z’s relationship with social media.

Findings from Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a non-profit that fights misinformation, showed that 60% of 13-17-year-old Americans surveyed agreed with four or more harmful conspiracy statements – compared with just 49% of adults. For teens who spend four or more hours a day on any single social media platform, the figure was as high as 69%.

“There’s a prejudice towards believing that youth will save us from the ills created by the former generations, but when it comes to misinformation, there are no future generations to save us from the damage that we’ve caused,” said Imran Ahmed, CEO of CCDH.

“This should be a clarion call – very simply, if these young people hold these beliefs in future years of their […]

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1 Comment

  1. Sam Crespi on Thursday, August 24, 2023 at 6:48 pm

    I am also deeply concerned.. This all stated with Wm Randolph Hearst when he began publishing a newspaper. He proposed that ‘when it bleeds, it leads.. Sensationalism and misinformation seem to have become a popular drug.