Think Before You Click: COVID-19, The Infodemic and Fake News

We attended UNICEF Innocenti’s Leading Minds Webinar to discover more about the current infodemic and how this puts children at risk. You can read their summary brief here.

The pandemic has caused a global crisis - not just for health, but for truth. The rise of misinformation, disinformation and fake news alongside the rapid growth of technology has meant that lies can be spread further and faster than ever before. This can have real world consequences and real impacts on children’s lives, particularly in the case of the pandemic. The internet has helped to blur the lines between fact and fiction, and news is no longer as rigorously fact checked as it once was. This webinar asked how we can help children to foster the key skills they need to distinguish truth from lies, and what work needs to be done to help combat the infodemic.

Why is the viral infodemic as dangerous as the pandemic for children and young people?

It was suggested that information can critically influence behaviour, particularly in young people. They may be susceptible to misinformation as they are in the process of shaping their identity, meaning their emotions can be more easily manipulated by what they are reading and consuming. Young people are also keenly aware of the power of visual media, and this is consistently used to push misinformation. Not only does an image easily trigger an emotional response, but it can also go viral rapidly as it is quick and easy to consume. Additionally, young people are not always aware of the hidden costs of the social media platforms that they use. Tactics such as tailored advertisement can lead users into ‘echo chambers’ where fake news is repeated and reinforced constantly, making it harder to seek out the truth.

What can be done to support young people?

The discussion focused on protecting young people as well as preparing them for what they may encounter online. There is not only a need for media literacy, but also emotional literacy - an awareness and understanding of how technology can be used to spread fake news and the manipulation tactics behind this. By empowering young people to argue against hate, debunk misinformation and question online content, they will be well positioned to detect misinformation and educate others on how to do so. However, the onus should not just fall to young people - social media companies and big tech corporations also have a responsibility to do better. Social media is optimised for growth, meaning that fake news can easily go viral. It is important that these companies are held accountable and stricter regulations are enforced.

How we are helping to tackle misinformation at the Collaborative

Combatting the infodemic is a priority for UNICEF. With new rumours appearing about COVID-19 daily, it is important that children are able to confidently access trustworthy and reliable information about the pandemic in order to protect their health and their lives.

We are currently working on a project which will develop a chatbot that will respond to rumour submissions about COVID-19. It will be able to classify these rumours and direct children and young people to reliable sources of information. You can read more about the project here.