Do You Know What Fake News Is? An Exploration of and Intervention to Increase Youth’s Fake News Literacy

Abstract

Youth should be correctly informed about what is happening in the world, but research on empowering people to identify fake news rarely targets youth. To take the first steps in increasing their fake news literacy, this study ( N = 298) qualitatively looks into youth’s (10–12 years old) fake news knowledge and quantitatively tests a fake news e-learning intervention (i.e., an online lesson in which youth learn about fake news and possible solutions). Our investigation of youth’s fake news knowledge showed that, before participating in the intervention, youth already had some knowledge of what fake news is and were aware of its problem. The intervention aimed to increase youth’s knowledge, awareness, and self-efficacy toward fake news. Although it did not increase youth’s knowledge or awareness of fake news, it successfully stimulated their self-efficacy in identifying fake news.