Young People Get Their News on Social Media — But With Reservations
70.3% of young Spaniards rely primarily on social media for news, while only 17.6% read newspapers and 15.5% listen to radio or podcasts. But there’s a catch: 60.9% follow media outlets or journalists on social platforms, yet only 13% always verify what they consume.
Staying informed is no longer about “seeking out” the news. For much of Spain’s youth, it means encountering it in the same space where they are entertained, socialize, and stay connected with their surroundings. On the occasion of Journalists’ Day, communications agency evercom revisited the main findings of the study “How Much Does a Lie Cost?”, conducted in collaboration with the Complutense University of Madrid and with guidance from FAD Juventud, to highlight the impact of digital misinformation on young people’s news habits and well-being.
Based on a survey of 800 individuals aged 15 to 24 living in Spain, the report paints a generational portrait that warns of what happens when informational noise becomes normalized: misinformation ceases to be an exception and instead becomes part of the landscape. As a result, emotional well-being, critical judgment, and ultimately engagement in public conversation are eroded.
An Information Ecosystem Shaped by Algorithms
Social media is now the primary news channel for 70.3% of young people, ahead of television (57.8%). Traditional formats are losing ground: only 17.6% read the press and 15.5% listen to radio or podcasts. A similar percentage—16.4%—say they use Artificial Intelligence to access information.
This consumption takes place within an intense digital routine: 47.6% spend between three and four hours per day on social media; 30.6% spend between one and two hours; 11.9% between five and six hours. Meanwhile, 6.6% use social platforms for more than six hours daily.
In this context, the study points to a structural shift: current events are filtered through systems that reward impact and emotion over rigor, blurring the boundaries between conversation and news, between opinion and fact. The result is a hyperconnected generation exposed to unequal competition between verified information and emotionally driven entertainment.
They Follow Journalists — But Consume Superficially
Amid the noise, one figure stands out as a clear opportunity for journalism: 60.9% of young people follow media outlets or journalists on social media, revealing a genuine search for recognizable sources.
Yet this willingness coexists with fragile information habits. The study describes a generational tension: young people want to stay informed but lack the routine of deeper engagement. Verification is not part of their daily habits. Only 13% say they “always” verify what they consume, compared to 59% who do so “sometimes” and 25% “rarely.”
When they do fact-check, their methods are revealing for the sector: search engines are the most commonly used channel (60.8%), but media outlets rank second as a verification source (39%), ahead of friends or family (36.1%), social media itself (35.3%), and AI tools (26.6%).
The Cost of Doubt: When Staying Informed Becomes Exhausting
Misinformation not only alters how young Spaniards understand and interact with events around them — it also affects how they feel. The research indicates that the daily avalanche of news, videos, and opinions creates a constant sense of doubt. In fact, 67% say they cannot fully trust the information they encounter on social media, fueling sustained cognitive fatigue.
The emotional consequences are tangible: more than half (55%) feel confused or disappointed when they discover they believed something false; 63% report frustration when others continue sharing hoaxes; and 54% admit feeling powerless in the face of how quickly misinformation spreads. This strain also translates into clear signs of saturation: 42% end up mentally exhausted after browsing social media, and 35% experience anxiety over the possibility of being exposed to false information without being able to identify it. Nearly half (44%) avoid interacting with certain topics altogether because they cause discomfort.
As a protective mechanism, many young people experiment with a form of “digital self-defense”: 31% have temporarily left social media due to overload and distress, while an additional 40% say they have considered doing so. The study warns of an associated risk: when disconnection begins as self-care, it can also distance individuals from spaces where information, debate, and participation take place.
As Irene de la Casa, Managing Director of evercom, explains: “Misinformation is not only a problem of information quality; it is a problem of quality of life and civic responsibility. When staying informed becomes an exercise in constant suspicion, what is lost is the ability to orient oneself. That is where journalism provides something irreplaceable: method, verification, and context. Not to compete for attention with noise, but to sustain a space where certainty can be found.”
The Value of Journalism: Spaces to Understand (and Trust) Again
The study reflects a still fragile but meaningful trust in the role of the media: 43.2% trust traditional media as news channels, while trust in information circulating on social media drops to 34.2%.
At the same time, young people perceive misinformation not as an isolated phenomenon but as a structural problem contaminating the entire media ecosystem. In their diagnosis, responsibility is shared. They identify platforms as the primary actors from whom responses are required, but also point to media organizations as key players in building a safer and more responsible information environment.
Above all, they demand tools: 63% want specific training to identify fake news; 80.4% consider it essential to distinguish between true and false information in digital environments; and 83.5% believe learning to detect hoaxes can help protect their emotional well-being.
“The fact that most young people in our country get their news from social media does not mean they reject journalism. On the contrary: they follow journalists and media outlets because they are looking for references, recognizable names, and criteria in an environment that blends facts, opinions, and entertainment in a single gesture,” says evercom’s Managing Director. “The question is what environments and tools we make available to them: if there are spaces for context and verification, there is potential for connection and participation.”
Source: ctrl Control Publicidad
Author: ctrl Control Publicidad
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