Mallard60022

Speaking from my experience a former Member of Youth Parliament (and hence somebody who has engaged in discussion about current affairs with all sorts of young people) I think many of 'the youth of today' would object, with justification, to being described as 'gullible and easily manipulated'. The people who unquestioningly believe whatever they see on TikTok would, in another generation, unquestioningly believe whatever they read in the column of a certain Ms. Hopkins.

It's also worth bearing in mind that while at secondary school, people my age have been through:

- The 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum

- The 2015 General Election

- The 2016 EU Referendum and US Presidential Election

- The 2017 General Election

- The 2019 General Election

- The 2020 US Presidential Election

With all of the fake news and dubious claims made around these votes, we've had more than enough practice assessing whether a story is credible or not. Thankfully, this is made easier because the UK has an impartial news broadcaster whose content is universally available. As long as the BBC is around in something like its current form, I think it will remain the go-to option for my generation to verify information about current affairs.

The only young person I know who has ever expressed irrational concerns about the covid vaccine was influenced primarily by his grandfather's opinion. I'll allow you to make whatever you like of that information.

A question for @truffy: When would your daughter have taken these first IT lessons? Back when I would have been in that situation (probably some time between 2007 and 2010) I don't think the idea of fake news spreading on social media was such a big concern. I only really remember this becoming a prominent topic of discussion from 2016 onwards (though of course this pushing into the earliest years of my political memory, as I am too young to recall the 2010 election). If she started school before then I doubt that they would have been teaching about fake news because we (as a society) didn't really recognise it as a threat at that point in the same way that we do now.

@DK123GWR sixth year of elementary school, so ca. 2016, I guess. As for the BBC being "an impartial news broadcaster", I'm guessing that you've never questioned the veracity of their reporting, or the quality of their journalism. IMO, the BBC is riding on its past glories, which were indeed manifest. The current crop of reporters seem to limit themselves to reading Twitter and using zero critical faculties.

Let's not start a debate about the BBC. It is well known the 'opinions' about  that provider of news and views is split depending on ones political outlook; no politics here please other than the  Corporation is mostly run by old, white, grey suited men and that says a lot sadly.

For me the World Service gives me enough to see that much of this country is obsessed with celebrity, difference and performance by leadership of a standard unseen except at pantomime. It also demonstrates what other people actually think of 'us' these days. Quite worrying that last bit.