Misinformation has emerged as one of the defining child-safety issues of the digital age, according to a major new UK-wide survey by Internet Matters. The online safety charity, which polled 2,000 parents and 1,000 children aged 9-17, found that three-quarters of parents and carers (73%) are now concerned about the false information their children encounter online, up sharply from 49% in 2020 and putting the issue on a par with long-standing anxieties about screen time. The survey also found that nearly two-thirds of children(64%) have come across false or misleading content online in a six-month period, including AI-generated material,and that seven in ten(68%) say they have been negatively affected by misinformation. These figures paint a stark picture of an internet ecosystem in which fake news, deepfakes, scams and algorithmically amplified hoaxes have become routine parts of childhood. The findings were released as Internet Matters launched“Find the Fake,” an interactive quiz designed to help parents, carers and educators teach children how to identify scams, fake news and AI-manipulated content. With artificial intelligence now able to produce realistic images, videos, voices and articles in seconds, the organisation said, even adults are struggling to separate fact from fact, and children need explicit, engaging training in critical thinking if they are to navigate the digital world safely.
The shift in parental anxiety has been rapid and dramatic. In 2020, fewer than half of parents cited misinformation as a serious concern; now 73% do, meaning the fear of false content has caught up with screen time, one of the defining worries of modern parenthood, in terms of perceived harm to children. This concern is far from abstract. Among children surveyed, 68% said false or misleading information online had negatively affected them, with many describing feelings of worry, anxiety, confusion and a growing distrust of online content. Internet Matters said this exposure can have a real impact on children’s wellbeing and understanding of the world, eroding their confidence in what they see, hearand read as it becomes harder to separate fact from fiction online. Misinformation can take many forms, including fake adverts, social media hoaxes, phishing emails, fabricated online articles or sponsored posts, and deliberately manipulated images or video. For parents already struggling to balance their children’s digital lives, the rise of AI-generated content has introduced a more insidious threat: one that manipulates beliefs, triggers emotional responses and can undermine children’s ability to trust even authentic information, leaving them either dangerously credulous or hopelessly cynical.
The platforms where children encounter this material are dominated by video-sharing apps and algorithm-driven social feeds. Among children who had encountered false or misleading information, TikTok was by far the most commonly cited source, with 47% saying they had seen it there, followed by YouTube at38%, Instagram at27% and Facebook at26%. These platforms are uniquely capable of spreading emotionally charged or sensational content beyond traditional checks of editorial accuracy, and a single manipulated video can reach millions of young viewers within hours. The survey also found that almost a quarter of children(23%) do not feel confident about recognising misinformation, leaving them vulnerable to believing and acting on false content. Children told researchers they rely heavily on teachers as well as parents and carers for online safety advice, yet the adults responsible for them are themselves struggling to keep pace: 85% of school staff surveyed said they are finding it harder to tell what is real and what is fake online. This is a troubling double bind: the very people children turn to for guidance are navigating the same polluted information streams without dedicated training or tools. Internet Matters said the findings underscore the need to equip young people with new skills tailored to the age of AI, including the ability to question provenance, cross-reference sources,and recognise the visual and textual signatures of manipulated content.
Artificial intelligence is supercharging the problem, making it easier than ever to manufacture convincing fake content at scale. Internet Matters highlighted high-profile examples that illustrate the threat. Popular children’s YouTuber MrBeast has been frequently targeted by AI deepfakes, including a scam last year claiming he was offering children free gaming currency or consoles in exchange for personal information, a deceptive ploy that could leave young fans vulnerable to identity theft or fraud. In another instance, in 2025 videos circulated online showing students inserting objects into laptop charging ports to create sparks and smoke. While there were genuine incidents in some schools, social media sites amplified the impression that it was happening everywhere, causing widespread concern among parents and schools. This case shows how misinformation can distort perceptions even when content is partly real, by stripping away context and magnifying isolated events into apparent epidemic. More broadly, AI enables false content to appear across an endless range of formats, from adverts and sponsored posts to phishing emails and online articles, making it nearly impossible for children to rely on superficial markers of credibility. A realistic-looking news headline, a doctored screenshot or a cloned voice message can all be generated cheaply, quickly and at scale, blurring the line between fact and fiction at exactly the moment when young people are most dependent on digital media for information, entertainment and social connection
Perhaps the most troubling finding is that some families are now turning to the very technology driving the problem in search of a solution. Almost a third of parents(30%) and a quarter of children(23%) said they use AI tools to check whether information is accurate. But experts warn that AI is not a reliable filter: AI models can give inaccurate responses and create a false sense of certainty, particularly when asked to evaluate ambiguous, fast-moving or deliberately deceptive content. Internet Matters described this as a“new challenge undermining children’s critical thinking and media literacy,” warning that outsourcing judgment to a chatbot may simply replace human misinformation with machine-generated errors. If children learn to trust a confident-sounding algorithm over their own reasoning, they may become less equipped to identify manipulation, not more. The survey’s finding that almost a quarter of children are not confident about spotting misinformation underscores the scale of the task ahead. Critical thinking, in this environment, becomes a fundamental safety mechanism: children need to understand how search engines and recommendation algorithms rank content, how to verify original sources, how to detect emotional manipulation,and when to ask a trusted adult rather than rely on a plausible-sounding AI answer. Without deliberate investment in these skills, there is a real risk that a generation will grow up either naively vulnerable to the most polished fakes or so deeply suspicious that they no longer trust any information, including reliable guidance about their health, education and safety
Internet Matters is responding with“Find the Fake,” an interactive quiz intended to turn misinformation education into a game-like family activity rather than a school lecture. The tool, supported by Virgin Media O2, helps participants learn to identify scams, fake news and AI-manipulated content in an engaging, accessible format designed to spark conversation between generations. Rachel Huggins, chief executive of Internet Matters, said: “While AI has brought many benefits, it has amplified the problem of misinformation by making it easier to create realistic fake content, spread false information quickly and blur the line between fact and fiction. As a result, children face greater challenges in identifying trustworthy information online, which can have harmful consequences. At Internet Matters, we believe parents, carers and schools are the first line of defence against false information, which is why we provide practical tools, expert guidance and educational resources that help children develop critical thinking skillsand question what they see online. Find the Fake is about empowering familiesand educators to help children navigate the digital world with confidence ina fun, engaging and accessible way.” Neha, parent and author of Cyber Ved Kids, added:“With AI making it harder than ever to tell what’s real from what’s fake online, it’s a huge worry for parents who are trying to look out for their children and protect them in the digital world. Children learn and remember better through play, not just classroom teaching, which is why tools like Find the Fake are brilliant because they turn a serious challenge into an interactive, fun experience that helps families build critical thinking skills together without it feeling like a lecture.” Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:“Virgin Media O2 is proud to back Internet Matters’ Find the Fake campaign, which comes at a critical time when it’s becoming harder than ever to tell what is real online. False information and fake images can leave children confused or misled, which is why we want to help them build the critical thinking skills they need to adapt to how the internet is changing, while staying safeand enjoying the digital experiences they love. It’s part of our digital wellbeing strategy where we are working to support six million people to navigate the online world with confidence.” The organisations behind the campaign said that a quiz alone cannot solve the crisis, but it represents an essential first step in embedding media literacy into everyday childhood and ensuring that parents, teachers, tech companies and governments all play their part in helping children growing up in the age of AI distinguish what is real from what is fake
