A recent study has proved that only one in four people are able to spot misinformation or fake news while 6% believe everything they read online, Daily Mail reported.
Online regulator Ofcom surveyed more than 13,000 internet users from the United Kingdom about their breadth of internet habits, device use and attitudes toward social media.
In the experiment, the people were shown news pieces and asked to identify true and fake news from them.
Although 70% of the people claimed that they can identify misinformation easily but only 22% (one in five) were able to correctly identify a genuine post from a fake one, without making mistakes.
The study also found that children are more susceptible to fake news and misinformation. Almost 74% of children aged 12-17, claimed they were confident but only 11 per cent able to decipher fact from fiction.
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The study found out that nearly 30% of the UK internet users are unsure about, or don’t even consider, the credibility of the information they come across online.
While, 6 per cent or about one in every 20 internet users, believe everything they see online, the study proves.
Ofcom found out that both adults and children overestimate their ability to spot misinformation on various social media platforms.
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