A new report has shown more than one third of young Australians aged 10 to 17 are using generative artificial intelligence (AI) as a source of news, on par with news websites and apps.<\/p>\n
The News and Young Australians in 2026 report \u2013 a collaboration between researchers from Western Sydney University, Queensland University of Technology and University of Canberra \u2013 demonstrated results from the fourth survey of more than 1,000 young people aged 10 to 17 across Australia, as part of a longitudinal project that commenced in 2017.<\/p>\n
The report found less than half of young people feel confident they can tell fact from fiction online, and nearly one third of young people who shared a news story online in the past six months later found out a story they had shared was false.<\/p>\n
Lead author Prof Tanya Notley, from Western Sydney University\u2019s School of Arts and Institute for Culture and Society, said the findings point to an \u201curgent need\u201d for enhanced news media literacy education in school that develops young people\u2019s critical capacity to navigate the platforms they rely on most for news.<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung people who receive more news media literacy lessons in school demonstrate greater digital media knowledge but there is still a disconnect between what young people know and how they actually behave,\u201d said Prof Notley.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile many young people can correctly identify how a search engine or a social media algorithm works, this technical knowledge does not necessarily result in them reporting that they take steps to verify information and sources online.<\/p>\n