More than half of Gen Z get their news from sites such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. Because of unregulated content, exposure to disinformation and misinformation is common. Additionally, students run the risk of impacting their mental health due to news-related stress and addictive social media algorithms.
“I’ll usually hear about [news] through social media first,” said Arpita Saril, a Sunset High School sophomore. “First, I’ll get it from TikTok or something, and if I want more I’ll go to a newspaper.”
Traditional news sources, such as newspapers, magazines and cable television networks have been diminishing in popularity. Accompanying this decline is a growing skepticism of mainstream media from Americans on both sides of the political spectrum. TikTok is one of the most popular platforms among Gen Z, and around 50% of TikTok users regularly get their news on the site. Saril is just one of them.
“I’m not really doubting the reliability [of information],” said Saril. “Unless it’s something that sounds absurd, I’m not fact checking it.”
Social media is rife with fake news, both disinformation–spread with the intent to mislead– and misinformation–which is spread unknowingly. Social media sites enable the spread of disinformation and misinformation by entities ranging from individuals to governments through relaxed content monitoring policies.
Soleo Hess, an Ida B. Wells High School sophomore, says he sees a lot of false information on social media.
“Sometimes I see information [on social media] that is just objectively wrong, but the person saying it fully believes it,” he said.
During the election year, there has been widespread concern around disinformation on social media. In the 2016 election, Russian intelligence used social media misinformation and trolls to sway the result towards Donald Trump. Similar tactics were used in the 2024 election by far right entities and Russian actors.
“I saw posts people were making of [AI generated] pictures of Taylor Swift wearing MAGA hats and at MAGA events,” said Clara Gooley, a sophomore. “They were fairly realistic, and I am pretty sure they have duped some people.”
YouTube is one of the most popular social media sites among teens, second only to Instagram. In 2024, 63% of Gen Z use YouTube.
“I get a lot of my news from watching YouTube videos,” said Kaya Lancaster, a sophomore. “There are a lot of YouTubers that do internet reports, and I get a lot of my information from there.”
YouTube has been criticized for allowing disinformation to flourish, as well as hosting people and organizations known for spreading false information. In 2023, it reversed a policy around election integrity, allowing claims that the 2020 election was stolen to remain on the site.
Nigel Jaquiss, Pulitzer prize winning journalist for the Willamette Week, cautions against believing all information from social media.
“The risk is that a lot of information on social media has not been verified, or reported by a professional reporter,” said Jaquiss. “Increasingly, information on social media is verified, but intentionally misleading. To further a point of view, or hurt a candidate or organization or individual. Or for ideological reasons.”
Groups ranging from government officials to news agencies have called for social media sites, such as X (formerly Twitter), to institute stricter regulations on misinformation.
“There is a big risk [in social media] for people of any age,” said Jaquiss. “But particularly younger people, as they are less able to discern what is good information and what is not.”
With the ubiquitousness of false information in social media, fact checking news is all the more important, according to Jaquiss.
“If somebody said the moon is made of mint chip ice cream, I would want to understand why that person thinks that’s true,” said Jaquiss. “How do you know that? What do other people say, where else can I get more information? You want to be a skeptical consumer. You want to know about the person telling you that, what is that person’s motivation, who do they work for?”
Julian Schild, a sophomore, is dubious of information he sees online, and tries to verify it.
“I do not trust people on [social media] to report on things without an agenda,” said Schild. “I always fact check any claims I think are strange or that I have conflicting information on.”
Schild explains his fact checking method.
“I search up [facts I see], try to find a trustworthy source that proves [they are] false or true, and find more than one source to confirm,” he said.
Some students say that keeping up with the news causes them worry, especially with Trump’s impending second term. Many prefer to avoid the news for these reasons.
“I feel like I probably should be more in touch with what is going on,” said Aubrey Sostrin, a Portland Waldorf High School sophomore. “But it’s stressful and scary.”
Consuming large amounts of news has been shown in studies to have a negative affect on mental health. Being constantly exposed to distressing and traumatic events can cause anxiety, depression and even PTSD.
“I tend to be more anxious when I read [the news],” said Lake Oswego High School junior Dylan Lemly. “I think it is important for students to read the news, but only if doing so does not negatively impact their mental health.”
While there is no formal diagnosis for news–related stress, it is a recognized issue by mental health professionals. The American Psychological Association advocates for media “dietary restrictions,” setting rules around what news you consume and how. Johns Hopkins recommends people take action on issues that are causing them stress, and limiting the amount of time spent reading the news per day.
“Part of the decision each individual has to make for themself is how much news do I need, how much news is healthy for me, and what is the best way to consume it?” said Jaquiss.
Jaquiss supports using strategies to manage news intake, and says it is important to only consume as much news as is healthy for you.
“You have to decide for your own mental health, how much do I want to know, and what do I want to know about?” he said. “It’s a good idea to figure out a few sources you can trust, and to try and consume them in moderation.”
Schild strongly believes that keeping up with current events is important for teens, despite the challenges it might pose.
“I think it is our civic duty as us citizens to know what is happening in our society,” he said. “To shelter yourself causes harm to you and your community.”
