Nearly half of 11-16 year olds believe the news on social media
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Nearly half of young people aged between 11 and 16 believe the news they see on social media, according to a new survey by BBC Education.
More than 2,000 young people responded to the survey which asked questions about what news sources they trust the most. The research found that as many as 47% of respondents trust the news they see on social media.
And social media was also the most popular source for news for respondents, ahead of television, websites and parents!
But respondents also said they put far more trust in the news they see on television by comparison - with 74% saying they believed the news they watched on TV was reliable.
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What else did the survey say?
How do you spot fake news?
Entertainment news, the environment, world news and coronavirus were among the five most popular subjects to read about in the news, with sports news being the fifth most popular.
As many 70% of the more than 2,000 young people who took part in the survey said they were looked at or read about the news at least once a week. And 19% said they looked at the news every day! Proper newshounds!
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Almost nine out of 10 young people (87%) said they understood what fake news was but less than half said they would search for evidence to back up their views and opinions.
Two thirds (66%) said they would check with their parents if they wanted to know whether a news story they'd seen or heard was correct.
Arguments
But some of the respondents said that the news can also cause arguments in their friendship groups.
22% said they often or sometimes fall out with friends because of different opinions about what was happening in the news.
And half of respondents said they were much more likely to share news with friends and family if the news article made them happy, compared to 13% who would share a story that made them feel sad and 15% who would share a story that made them angry.
You can read more about this survey on BBC Bitesize. This survey is a part of BBC Education's Other Side of the Story project which aims to help young people understand the news better.
The survey was carried out by Survation on behalf of BBC Education. 2,019 respondents aged 11-16 across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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