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Understanding the impact of misinformation on adolescents
Ili Ma1,2, Mubashir Sultan3,4, Anastasia Kozyreva3
1Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands. i.ma@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.
Nature Human Behaviour
|November 14, 2025
Summary
Adolescents are uniquely vulnerable to misinformation due to developmental changes, requiring tailored interventions. Understanding these differences is key to building digital resilience in young social media users.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Media Studies
- Developmental Science
Background:
- Misinformation susceptibility research primarily focuses on adults, neglecting adolescent vulnerabilities.
- Adolescents face unique misinformation types and undergo critical social, emotional, and cognitive development.
- Developmental changes can heighten susceptibility via social influence, emotional manipulation, and cognitive biases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline how adolescent misinformation susceptibility differs from adults.
- To propose a research agenda for studying adolescent misinformation processes.
- To introduce a Bayesian framework for belief updating in social media contexts.
Main Methods:
- Developmental perspective analysis of adolescent cognition and social media use.
- Literature review on misinformation susceptibility in adults and adolescents.
- Proposal of a Bayesian belief updating framework.
Main Results:
- Adolescent susceptibility to misinformation is shaped by distinct developmental factors.
- Unique opportunities for resilience exist within adolescent developmental stages.
- A tailored Bayesian framework can model belief updating on social media.
Conclusions:
- Insights inform the development of age-appropriate interventions for adolescent resilience.
- Social sciences are crucial for combating misinformation's impact on youth.
- Promoting digital literacy and critical thinking is vital for young users.
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