Social networks now occupy a central place in adolescents’ access to news, with TikTok as the main gateway, notes a survey published Thursday by the Association e-Enfance/3018.
69% of 16-18 year olds say that they are most exposed to information on social networks. When they actively seek information, 40% turn to traditional media, 38% to social networks, and 32% to conversational AI. Among those who turn to social networks, four in five choose TikTok in this age group.
Trust problem
Among 11-18 year olds, 28% look for information on social networks, including 70% on TikTok. Three-quarters of young people say they regularly spot false information (miracle products, conspiracy theories, political information, etc.), according to this survey carried out in January among 1,049 young people, by the Toluna Harris Interactive Institute.
By being exposed to false information, four out of five no longer know who to trust, notes the association for the protection of children on the internet. Furthermore, 56% of adolescents trust the information provided by generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT.
And 40% rarely, if ever, question information from AI. “Between misinformation, rapid circulation of content on social networks and artificial intelligence tools capable of producing images, texts or videos that are difficult to distinguish from reality, adolescents are evolving in a context where traditional benchmarks of reliability are weakening,” comments the association. Barely one in two young people aged 16-18 say they trust the President of the Republic and the government, a proportion which drops to 37% among 11-13 year olds.
