Half of children cannot tell whether news on social media is fake

CHILDREN are being exposed to fake news, Ofcom has said, as figures showed nearly half of 12 to 15-year-olds find it difficult to tell fact from fiction on social media.

The communications regulator said that “the news children read through social media is provided by third-party websites. While some of these may be reputable news organisations, others may not”.

Some 73 per cent of children aged 12-15 say they are aware of the concept of fake news and 39 per cent say they have seen a fake news story, while 86 per cent claim they would make at least one practical attempt to check the veracity of a story, such as looking for additional sources or checking whether or not the organisation behind the story is trustworthy.

However, 46 per cent said they struggled to tell if a news story is true or false. Emily Keaney, head of children’s research at Ofcom, said: “Most older children now use social media to access news, so it’s vitally important they can take time to evaluate what they read.

“It’s reassuring that almost all children say they have strategies for checking whether a social media news story is true or false. There may be two reasons behind this: lower trust in news shared through social media, but the digital generation are also becoming savvy online.”

The Children and Parents Media Use and Attitudes Report 2017 found that more children use the internet, with 92 per cent of five to 15-year-olds now online, up from 87 per cent last year. Among pre-schoolers, that figure is up from 41 per cent to 53 per cent in the last 12 months. One striking feature was the extent to which Youtube features in children’s lives. It is the most recognised content provider among 12 to 15-year-olds: 94 per cent said they had heard of it, compared with 89 per cent for ITV, 87 per cent for Netflix and 82 per cent for BBC One or Two.