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Ofcom Marketing

Tweens wise up to fake news onslaught

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By John Glenday, Reporter

November 29, 2017 | 3 min read

Research undertaken by Ofcom has shown that 12-15 year old’s are wising up to the rise of fake news, with only 32% who rely on social media as their primary news source expressing confidence that the medium always, or even mostly, imparts the truth.

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Tweens wise up to fake news onslaught

It is calculated that 54% of the 12-15 year olds now turn to the likes of Facebook and Twitter for their primary news fix, firmly establishing social media as the second most popular news source behind television.

But media regulators Children and Parents Media Use and Attitudes Report 2017 suggested that this proportion rises to 59% for both TV and radio, indicating that traditional mediums retain their reputations even as younger audiences migrate to new platforms.

While some news websites may well be accurate others are more likely to tell the occasional fib or exaggeration, a fact tweens are now cottoning onto with 73% now conscious of ‘fake news’ as a category with 39% having encountered a fake news story online for themselves.

Emily Keaney, head of children’s research at Ofcom, said it’s reassuring that almost all children now 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," she said.

In response to rising incidences of fake news increasing numbers of children are actively filtering content with 86% reporting that they would make at least one practical attempt to check the veracity of what they are reading.

Fake news has become a major problem across the media landscape as publishers and advertisers struggle to halt or even accurately define what fake news content actually is.

Josh Krichefski, chief executive of MediaCom said the agency's own research found that 66% of 8-12 year olds now have a smartphone, which has helped drive the rise in on-demand content accessed by children and younger age groups.

“Broadcasters need to adapt to this change and ensure that they are producing content aimed at children that is available online as well as on linear TV," he said.

"This provides a wider choice of programs that children can access on smartphones and tablets, and means that they are less likely to access age-inappropriate content – a definite concern for parents. Children need support and guidance in the early stages of their lives, and by making more children’s content available across all channels broadcasters can help encourage positive development.”

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