Effects of Intervention Timing on Health-Related Fake News: Simulation Study

Area of Science:

• Digital epidemiology
• Information science
• Public health communication

Background:

• Fake health news proliferates online, causing societal harm.
• The fenbendazole scandal in South Korea highlights the rapid spread of misinformation.
• Effective interventions are crucial to mitigate the impact of fake news.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the optimal timing for interventions against fake health news.
• To minimize the negative consequences of online health misinformation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model, adapted for information diffusion.
• Employed NetLogo for agent-based modeling and simulation.
• Set parameters based on real-world digital environments, exemplified by the fenbendazole scandal.

Main Results:

• Unmitigated fake news persisted for 278 days.
• Intervention at 54 days reduced duration to 210 days; at 16 days to 187 days; at 10 days to 157 days.
• Interventions within 10 days showed comparable effectiveness in shortening fake news duration.

Conclusions:

• Early intervention within 10 days is effective in curbing fake news spread.
• Timely responses are critical for managing online misinformation.
• Developing a fake news detection system is recommended for rapid intervention.