Strong reading skills may help teens spot misinformation online
Stronger reading skills help teens better spot misinformation, which is especially important for lower-income students.
A new study suggests that stronger reading skills among teenagers can help them better identify misinformation on the internet, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Assistant Professor Jason Jabbari of Washington University in St. Louis, coauthor of the study, argues that reading abilities are crucial for disadvantaged students who are at a higher risk of being misled.
The research, published in Social Science Research, examined data from 232,901 teenagers across 49 countries participating in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment. The study found that while students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds generally have better skills to resist misinformation, the gap between rich and poor students in this regard is most pronounced among weaker readers.
Jabbari explains that stronger reading skills enable students with fewer resources to benefit significantly, acting as a compensatory factor. He believes that literacy could play a crucial role in reducing misinformation's disparate impact. Despite having basic verification strategies, such as comparing sources or checking information, many students still share made-up content.
The study indicates that schools are pivotal in teaching students to handle online information, highlighting the importance of building reading comprehension, especially for lower-income students. Techniques like lateral reading and prebunking are also proposed to help young people navigate the online world more effectively.
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