American teenagers awash in conspiracy theories, cynical about information media

Date:


The Information Literacy Challenge, a nonpartisan schooling nonprofit, launched a research final week that exhibits the alarming frequency with which American youngsters are uncovered to – and imagine – conspiracy theories on social media. However the analysis additionally discovered that instructing college students media literacy is related to wholesome on-line habits like fact-checking earlier than sharing on social media.

And an awesome majority of teenagers surveyed (94%) need their faculties to show media literacy, though simply 39% reported having had any such instruction in the course of the 2023-24 college 12 months.

The research — Information Literacy in America: A survey of youngster data attitudes, habits & expertise — surveyed greater than 1,000 younger folks aged 13-18 and highlights the urgent want for systemic information literacy instruction in our nation’s faculties. It was launched to coincide with the primary day of U.S. Media Literacy Week.

“As we head into the ultimate stretch of an election season outlined by the unfold of knowledge dysfunction, this survey demonstrates that we urgently want to organize our younger folks to discern credible information from deceptive or false data,” mentioned Information Literacy Challenge CEO and President Charles Salter. “America’s teenagers have to be taught information literacy expertise to allow them to be extra knowledgeable voters of the long run.”

Among the many findings:

  • Eight in 10 American youngsters say they see conspiracy theories on social media not less than as soon as per week. A number of the most frequent narratives cited embody the 2020 election being rigged or stolen, the COVID-19 vaccine being harmful and the Earth being flat.
  • Of these teenagers who reported seeing conspiracy theories, 81% report that they imagine not less than one in all them.
  • Virtually half of teenagers (45%) assume the press does extra to hurt democracy than defend it.
  • Eight in 10 say data from information organizations isn’t any extra neutral than different content material creators on-line.
  • Lower than one quarter of teenagers (23%) say they use generative synthetic intelligence chatbots as soon as per week or extra, difficult the notion that AI instruments have already upended the way in which younger folks strategy schoolwork.

“This research underscores how vitally necessary information literacy expertise are in an data atmosphere dominated by social media. These platforms are residence to dangerous conspiracy theories, and our outcomes present that American teenagers will not be exempt from being uncovered to, or probably even influenced by them,” mentioned Dr. Kim Bowman, a co-author of the report. “We have to do the whole lot we are able to to make sure that younger folks know easy methods to defend themselves from falsehoods – and this report exhibits that our college students are emphatically asking for media literacy to be taught in faculties.”

There have been additionally causes to be inspired that media literacy instruction will help teenagers extra efficiently navigate our data ecosystem. Among the many findings, teenagers with not less than some publicity to media literacy instruction have been extra prone to:

  • interact in civic-minded actions, akin to pushing again in opposition to misinformation.
  • accurately establish a picture that includes an actual particular person versus an AI-generated likeness.
  • report increased belief in information media and extra energetic information habits.

The research offers suggestions for fogeys and guardians, educators, policymakers and journalists to make sure college students have the information and talent to take part in civic society as well-informed, vital thinkers by the point they graduate highschool.   

“The Information Literacy in America report identifies that the nation’s youth need media literacy to be provided in faculties and the findings couldn’t make it any clearer that the topic must change into a curricular precedence,” mentioned Dr. Lance Holbert, Director of the Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics (LAIC) on the Annenberg Public Coverage Middle on the College of Pennsylvania, who was not concerned within the research. “It ought to function a wake-up name for educating the nation’s youth in regards to the worth of high quality journalism for a sustainable democracy.”

Entry the complete report and downloadable graphics right here. B-roll and classroom photographs can be found upon request.

Concerning the Information Literacy Challenge

The Information Literacy Challenge is a nonpartisan nonprofit constructing a nationwide motion to make sure that all college students are expert in information literacy earlier than highschool commencement, giving them the information and talent to take part in civic society as well-informed, vital thinkers. Based in 2008, NLP is the nation’s main supplier of stories literacy schooling and works with educators in all 50 states. Study extra at www.newslit.org.

Kevin Hogan
Newest posts by Kevin Hogan (see all)



LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Popular

More like this
Related