ST. IGNATIUS — It was only just a few weeks ago that TikTok went dark in the U.S., only to be restored hours later, on the day before Inauguration Day.
The popular video app was supposed to be banned last month in the U.S. following a 2024 law passed by Congress. That federal law forced Tiktok's parent company to divest its stakes or face a ban.
President Trump, who tried to ban the app in his first term, paused the law for 75 days after taking office. Then on Monday, he signed a new executive order saying TikTok could be acquired by a newly-proposed sovereign wealth fund.
TikTok is facing scrutiny because of concerns the Chinese government is manipulating its content and gathering user data. But those against the ban say it violates the freedom of speech for the 170 million Americans who use it.
We live in a world of "digital misinformation and it's easy to get tricked into believing something is legitimate when it's not. But what about teenagers who are constantly consuming all kinds of media? Pew Research found that 60% of teens used TikTok last year.
So are they savvy to the spin? For Scripps News Literacy Week, Jill Valley sat down with a group of St. Ignatius High School seniors to see how they consume news. And as it turns out, it's with a healthy side of skepticism.
In a digital age where social media platforms dominate, the students shared their experiences and perspectives on how they consume news and differentiate between credible information and misinformation.
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For Scripps News Literacy Week, a discussion was held with students who are well-acquainted with various apps and platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter.
Many of these teens mentioned that they use a combination of social media and traditional news sources in their quest for reliable information.
Brooke Tanner, one of the students, expressed skepticism about outlandish news stories, noting, “I don’t think that Donald Trump has 37 kids across China. It’s like crazy stuff like that.”
This highlights a general awareness among teens about the prevalence of misinformation. In their pursuit of factual information, the students emphasized the importance of source verification.
Elexa Monroy said, “I really like to fact-check things. It could be the most reliable news source ever and I will go to Google and I will look up and go through every other article about whatever the situation is.”
Similarly, Sawyer Pule mentioned that he cross references multiple news channels to confirm the consistency of the information presented.
This dedication to fact-checking indicates a proactive approach to news consumption.
McKensey Burke elaborated, stating, “If I see it on social media, I am for sure going to fact-check it.”
Amelia Cronk added, “Even the stuff you Google and different articles can also be fake or biased or not true, so you just have to take everything with a grain of salt.”
While some students receive news from apps and their social media feeds, others still prefer traditional broadcasting.
“I choose the broadcasting side because if I wanted to look at the news, that is where I'd go first instead of social media,” noted Pule.
Tanner shared that her family incorporates news into their daily routine, watching it in the morning and again at night.
As news continues to spread rapidly across digital platforms, the challenge of being news literate becomes even greater; the rise of artificial intelligence also makes distinguishing real news from fake becomes increasingly complex.
Tanner highlighted the concerning trend of younger individuals receiving news at an earlier age, emphasizing the need for critical thinking skills when approaching information.
“When you don’t know how to fact check, you are just believing everything you see as it comes to you, and I think that can be harmful,” she said.
These insights from the students at St. Ignatius High School reveal a generation that is not only tech-savvy but also aware of the implications of digital news consumption.
They recognize the importance of critical thinking and fact-checking in navigating today’s complex information landscape.
