More than half of Brits have believed fake news on social media

Less than one in five people who get their news from social media always check whether it is true.

A poll of 2,000 people found four in 10 now get their news from social media – but 56 per cent have believed something which later turned out to be false.

The research also found 45 per cent of 18-24 year olds now use TikTok to search for news – catching up with Google (55 per cent).

Overall, one in five (21 per cent) believe social platforms are always or often trustworthy, with nearly half (47 per cent) of these convinced by the inclusion of pictures and video from the event being reported on.

While 44 per cent of them believe it’s often the quickest form of media to cover breaking news from people on the scene.

Although 87 per cent believe it is important to question what you see posted on social media.

With news about energy bills never far from the headlines, documentary maker Ross Kemp has teamed up with Smart Energy GB [https://www.smartenergygb.org/] to help households answer some of the most common questions about smart meters.

This comes as 32 per cent have seen a story about the devices in the media within the last year, but half of them didn’t follow it up with further research.

Google search data shows that some of the questions people have asked most about the tech in the last 12 months include how they work and even what they look like, which Ross sets straight in a new video interview with energy expert, Victoria Bacon.

Ross Kemp said: “With so much news and information available online and on social media, it’s more important than ever for people to know how to separate fact from fiction.

“Even simple and common things like smart meters can provoke questions for some people.

“But polling shows that four out of five people who own one are happy with their device, and they have lots of benefits that everyone can take advantage of.”

The research went on to find half of Brits believe AI-generated videos and pictures are becoming harder to spot.

Social media (58 per cent) is the source of news people are most likely to fact check, while only 31 per cent would look into claims made by people they know.

But 48 per cent often spread what they’ve seen online to friends and family themselves.

With Facebook (49 per cent), X (40 per cent) and YouTube (35 per cent) the top social platforms to gather news and knowledge.

However, 31 per cent want to get better at fact-checking because information can now spread so fast.

While 44 per cent of those polled via OnePoll believe that fake news circulates more quickly than real stories.

Of those who already try to check information is genuine, half use a search engine, while others cross reference multiple sources (40 per cent) or use a fact checking organisation like FullFact (27 per cent).

Ross Kemp added: “People can get caught out by believing things they’ve heard or seen online.

“That’s why I always recommend people do some fact checking with reputable sources.”