Campaign exposing kids' vulnerability to ‘fake news’ launched

MANILA, Philippines — The younger generation, especially the children are highly susceptible to false information, news website PressOne.PH reminded. 

In a press release, PressOne launched an advocacy campaign to raise awareness that children are vulnerable to false information by putting up a Facebook page that contains stories of children that are based on what they have heard from older people or watched online. 

This initiative, according to PressOne, comes as a response to the growing concern over the influence of misinformation on the younger generation's perceptions and beliefs.

“We at PressOne.PH took this opportunity to partner with Redbin to highlight the danger that kids, too, are gullible to online disinformation. As a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, PressOne.PH is determined to highlight the importance of fact-checking and credible information sources so that we can provide a more factual and safe online space for our kids,” Rommel Lopez, associate editor of PressOne, was quoted as saying in a release.

The Facebook page, called “News by Kids”, posts the “news stories” written by children accompanied by sketches.

“But behind the cuteness of their handwriting, sketches, and stories hides the alarming possibility that these stories might be false or misleading,” PressOne’s press release read. 

Aside from the online “news stories,” PressOne also released some “limited-edition” copies of printed materials in locations with high-foot traffic.

"A few weeks after we allowed netizens to analyze the credibility of the stories, PressOne.PH revealed that the page was a social experiment to test the gravity of fake news. Every story written by kids was fact-checked and published on PressOne.PH’s website and shared across its social media platforms,” PressOne’s press release read. 

The Facebook page will continue to raise awareness about the dangers of misinformation for children.

The experiment is in partnership with RedBin Philippines.