Young people are more likely to believe and spread fake news

“Young people are very curious and it’s important to be aware of the news,” researcher Sophie Duvecot tells RTL News. Keeping up-to-date with the news will also help young people interact with people around them.

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Still, the large distribution of news can quickly make young people feel overwhelmed, according to the study. “The news is constant. You can’t really escape it,” says Duvecot.

Thanks to the increased distribution of news, young people have a broader understanding of what news really means. For example, unlike older generations, they did not grow up loyal to a particular news brand. For example, it is common for young people to consume news not only through traditional sources such as newspapers, but also through social media and influencers.

According to Duvecot, young people are looking for different perspectives. “They want to see multiple sides of an issue, and they see more coming out in alternative media.” For alternative media, think of news through social media, for example. When it’s shared by someone you know, that’s enough to trust the content.

Traditional news media are also viewed as negative and depressing by young people. Because of the wide range of media, they do not expect the media to treat a matter objectively and neutrally. According to the study, young people are the most critical when it comes to ‘mainstream’ news.

Continue the conversation

According to Duvecot, it is good for the news media to present different points of view on the news. In this way, the media can help keep the conversation going among young people who consider it important that news is relevant to everyday life.

Also, according to research, news helps develop young people’s vision. “It’s important in their identity formation,” says Duvecot.

In his book “Immune to Fake News,” psychology professor Sander van der Linden compares fake news to a virus and offers solutions to increase your resistance to it.

The research was carried out on behalf of UseTheNews by qualitative journalism researchers at the research group Digital Transition at the Hogeschool Utrecht and used literature from 2006 to 2022.

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