Dylan Page calls himself the “News Daddy.” He posts about current events on social media. His clips have titles like “USA & Europe Break Up?!” On TikTok, Page’s account has more than 15 million followers. That’s more followers than The New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post combined. 

    Page is what some people call a “news influencer.” And he’s proof that the way we get our information is changing. At your age, your parents probably read newspapers or watched TV news to stay informed. Today more than half of teens say they get their news from social media.  

    Keeping up with news on social media is convenient. It’s also fast. But it’s not always reliable. One study found that 20 percent of TikTok’s suggested videos about major news events contained misinformation. 

    So how can you make sure you’re getting facts—not false information? Test yourself with these questions. Then use what you learn to stay informed.

    Dylan Page calls himself the “News Daddy.” He posts about current events on social media. He called one post “USA & Europe Break Up?!” His TikTok account has more than 15 million followers. That’s more followers than The New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post put together.

    Page is a “news influencer.” He’s part of a change in the way we get information. As teens, your parents probably read newspapers or watched TV news programs. But today more than half of teens get their news from social media.

    Using social media for news is convenient. It’s also fast. But it’s not always reliable. One study looked at TikTok’s suggested videos about news events. It found that 20 percent of the videos contained misinformation.

    So how can you get facts—not false information? Test yourself with these questions. Then use what you learn to stay informed.

    Dylan Page calls himself the “News Daddy.” He posts about current events on social media and gives his clips titles like “USA & Europe Break Up?!” On TikTok, Page’s account has more than 15 million followers—which is more than The New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post combined.

    Page is what some people call a “news influencer,” and he’s proof that the way we get our information is changing. At your age, your parents probably stayed informed by reading newspapers or watching TV news programs. But today, more than half of teens say they get their news from social media.

    Keeping up with news on social media is convenient and quick, but it’s not always reliable. One study found that 20 percent of TikTok’s suggested videos about major news events contained misinformation.

    So how can you make sure you’re getting facts—not false information—when you go online? Test yourself with these questions, and then use what you learn to stay informed.

NO. Exaggerated claims and titles are often signs of disinformation. (That’s false information that is spread on purpose to confuse or trick people.) These titles are used to trigger your emotions. You’re less likely to question if something is true when you’re scared or excited. 

    So look at the language of a post before you click on it. Is it trying to make you feel a certain way? Does it make it seem like you’ll be in danger if you don’t click? (“Huge risk!” or “Beware!”) Reliable news sources focus on facts—not feelings—in their headlines.

NO. Exaggerated titles are often signs of disinformation. (That’s false information that is spread on purpose to confuse or trick people.) These titles are written to make you feel scared or excited. That way you’re less likely to question whether something is true.

    So don’t click on the post. First, look at the title. Is it trying to make you feel a certain way? Does it seem like you are in danger? (“Huge risk!” or “Beware!”) Reliable news sources focus on facts, not feelings, in their headlines.

NO. Exaggerated claims and titles are often signs of disinformation: false information that is spread intentionally to confuse or trick people. These titles are crafted to trigger an emotional response—making you feel scared, excited, or another strong emotion so that you’re less likely to question the truth of the content in the post.

    So examine the language of a post before you click on it. Is it trying to make you feel a certain way? Does it make it seem like you’ll be in danger if you don’t click? (“Huge risk!” or “Beware!”) Reliable news sources focus on facts—not feelings—in their headlines.