AI Deception, News Bias Highlight Students’ Weak Misinformation Detection Skills

College Students Need Better Media Literacy Skills in the Age of AI Misinformation

A deceptively simple 8-second video of bunnies bouncing on a trampoline recently captured 25 million likes and 200 million views across social media. What appeared to be innocent Ring camera footage was actually an AI-generated creation, fooling millions of viewers who only discovered the truth in the comments section.

This viral phenomenon illustrates a growing concern highlighted by new research from the CUNY Graduate Center: college students understand how to identify misinformation in theory but struggle to apply these skills in real-world situations.

“You need to be a critical thinker because you are getting bombarded with information left and right,” explains Arshia Lodhi, who co-authored the study with Professor Patricia Brooks after beginning the research as an undergraduate at the College of Staten Island.

The study revealed that while 52% of undergraduate students could identify lateral reading strategies—checking multiple sources to verify information—as the best approach to evaluate online content, only 34% actually used these techniques in practice. Students with higher reading comprehension and awareness of how algorithms influence online information were more likely to employ these verification methods.

Researchers found that students were more inclined to verify news stories or check image accuracy but less likely to investigate the people and organizations behind content. Many still consider potentially useful resources like Wikipedia unreliable for preliminary research on unfamiliar topics or media sources.

“The norm should be lateral reading,” Lodhi emphasizes. “You should be looking at other sources because news outlets are so polarized and there’s so much out there, people need to be looking at different sources.”

She points to how mainstream media outlets like CNN and Fox News present the same stories through different political lenses. For example, CNN’s coverage of controversy surrounding American Eagle’s advertisements with actress Sydney Sweeney explored broader cultural debates about race and beauty standards, while Fox News focused on criticizing “left-wing” backlash and highlighted Sweeney’s Republican registration.

With the constant barrage of information from news and social media, students must become active participants in online discourse rather than passive consumers.

“Now you have students whose job it is at this moment to be growing intellectually, learning important skills, not just for the workforce but also just to be informed citizens,” said C. Donnan Gravelle, a Ph.D. candidate who contributed to the study. “With the news, media, political, and ethical landscape we have now, it seems to me like one of the most important skills you can have is simply evaluating all the information around you.”

The researchers recommend using the SIFT method developed by Mike Caulfield, a digital literacy expert from Washington State University. This approach involves four key steps: Stop before reacting to content; Investigate the source; Find better coverage from other reliable sources; and Trace claims back to their original context.

Adopting these practices could significantly reduce the spread of misinformation, according to study researcher Riya Anjaria, who notes, “Because of how easy the internet is and how easy it is for everyone to use technology now, there is more misinformation than information at this point.”

The implications extend far beyond harmless videos of bunnies. If millions can be fooled by such innocent content, the potential consequences are much greater when misinformation targets political issues, public health, or social divisions.

Lodhi suggests starting small by taking just 10 minutes to apply the SIFT method while scrolling through social media and being mindful about what content to share. She encourages students to educate their peers and family members about recognizing misinformation using skills they already possess.

As digital content becomes increasingly sophisticated and AI tools more accessible, developing these critical evaluation skills isn’t just an academic exercise—it’s becoming essential for responsible digital citizenship in the information age.