According to a study, teens are digesting news from YouTube and not thirsty news outlets

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In this era of fake news and disinformation, you’d think that getting your world events from a reputable source would be even more important. A new study by Common Sense Media and SurveyMonkey shows that teenagers are more interested in getting their news from a source they trust, even if that source doesn’t follow journalistic rigor.

Yes, the next generation of soon-to-be-adults is getting their news from YouTube. That means no fact-checking, no accepted moral codes, and most importantly – opinion over fact.

A new study shows that teens are getting their worldview and news from YouTube

So, teens are getting their world news from YouTube. I guess the flat earth will turn up in school textbooks soon enough because YouTube has a huge problem with recommending conspiracy theories with its algorithm. That’s a big problem for our teens, half of which say they keep watching videos in the recommendation queue after they finish the one they went to the site for.

Want to find out how far the rabbit hole goes? Here are some relevant stats from the study:

• 1,000 teens were surveyed for the study
• More than 75 percent said that it is important to follow world events
• 60 percent of those teens learn their news from celebrities, influencers, and other online personalities – not the traditional news media
• 40 percent of those believe that social media platforms and influencers “generally get the facts straight”

Yikes. If the next generation is getting its worldview from the likes of Logan Paul, we’re doomed.

What do you think? Surprised by the news regarding YouTube or am I just an old man yelling at the cloud? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.