More than a third of internet users are unaware that online content might be false or biased, an Ofcom study has found. Some 30% of UK adults who use the internet – 14.5 million – are unsure about or do not even consider the truthfulness of the information they see online, the regulator’s annual survey found.
A further 6%, or about one in every 20 internet users, believe everything they see online. Both adults and children overestimate their ability to spot misinformation, Ofcom found.
Participants were shown social media posts and profiles to determine whether they could verify their authenticity. Although seven in 10 adults (69%) said they were confident in identifying misinformation, only two in 10 (22%) were able to correctly identify the tell-tale signs of a genuine post, without making mistakes.
