More Than Quarter of UK Children Believe Fake News, Study Finds

A concerning trend has emerged in how children engage with online news, as a new study from the United Kingdom reveals that over a quarter of young people have believed fake or AI-generated stories they encountered on the internet.

Research conducted by British online safety charity Internet Matters found that almost three in ten children (27%) admitted to falling for fabricated news content. The findings have sparked urgent calls for enhanced critical thinking education to better protect young people navigating an increasingly complex digital information landscape.

The vulnerability to misinformation appears significantly higher among certain groups of children. According to the report, approximately 43% of vulnerable children—defined as those qualifying for special educational needs support, those with education, health and care plans, or those with physical or mental health conditions—believed fake or AI-generated content. This compares to 23% of children not categorized as vulnerable.

One 17-year-old girl interviewed for the study provided a troubling firsthand account: “Today I’ve seen about three videos of natural disasters like hurricanes and floods and they’ve all been fake but I believed every single one of them, the AI fooled me.”

The researchers warned about the potentially serious consequences of online misinformation, noting it can “deepen social and political divides and even trigger real-world harm,” citing the riots that followed the Southport murders as an example of how online falsehoods can lead to actual violence.

Of particular concern is the increasing prevalence of AI-generated content, including deepfakes—artificially created images, videos and audio designed to misrepresent someone’s appearance, speech or actions. The study’s authors noted that such content is “making it more difficult for users to verify and trust news” across digital platforms.

Children themselves appear to recognize the problem, with nearly half (48%) stating that social media companies should take proactive measures to remove fake news. Additionally, 40% believe AI-generated content should be clearly labeled as such to help users distinguish between authentic and artificial information.

The research also examined broader news consumption patterns among children, finding that over three-quarters (76%) engage with news on a weekly basis, with 68% of these young consumers accessing news through social media channels.

Interestingly, children are almost equally likely to get their information from established news outlets’ social media accounts (41%) as they are from influencers or content creators (40%), highlighting the shifting landscape of information authority for younger generations.

The role of algorithmic content distribution appears significant in how children encounter news. The study found that 40% of children who consume news via social media don’t actively follow news-focused accounts, instead encountering news content through automatically suggested posts and accounts—raising questions about how platform algorithms may shape young people’s understanding of current events.

Beyond misinformation concerns, the report highlighted the emotional toll that news exposure can take on children. Among those who get news from social media, 61% reported seeing content that worried or upset them within the past month, and 41% said they felt overwhelmed by the news they encountered.

As digital literacy becomes increasingly vital for navigating today’s information environment, these findings underscore the need for comprehensive strategies involving parents, educators, technology platforms, and policymakers to better prepare children for distinguishing fact from fiction online.