This month!
There’s debate over the extent to which kids should follow the news. Some think that as the next generation of lawmakers, kids should stay aware of politics so they can help make the best decisions. On the other hand, people often refrain from sharing this information with youth for fear of scaring or stressing them out.
- Which of the following (if any) do you think is important for youth your age to follow and keep up with?
- What’s your primary mechanism for keeping up with national news?
- What’s your primary mechanism for keeping up with global news?
- How credible do you find your source(s) of information regarding political events?
Free-Response: Why or why don’t you think that it’s important for kids in high school to stay aware about politics (national/international events)?
If you follow politics, how do you form opinions about what you learn from your sources?
Our Findings
Auckland, New Zealand
Our findings:
This survey was conducted at my high school in Auckland, New Zealand. A total of 9 students completed the survey, which was open for about one week. Overall, the results show that students are more comfortable with data being used after a crime than before one.
Personal data usage to preemptively stop crimes
For Question 1, most students were uncomfortable with the government looking at personal data to stop crimes before they happen, with an average score of 2.1 out of 5.
Personal data usage to investigate a crime after the fact
In Question 2, students were more comfortable with authorities accessing data after a crime, with an average of 3.4.
Data use for in–app personalization
Question 3 showed mixed opinions about social media apps recommending content, with an average of 2.8.
Data use for out-of-app personalization
For Question 4, most students were uncomfortable with apps using data from other apps, with an average of 2.2.
Clear policies on data usage
In Question 5, almost everyone agreed they would feel more comfortable with clearer rules, with an average of 4.7.
Moscow, Russia
Our findings:
I conducted a survey with twelve of our students to find out how they felt about data privacy and digital surveillance in our neighborhood. The survey was available for ten days in February. Overall, the results indicate that while students are open to the use of data for certain criminal investigations, they are still dubious about proactive corporate and governmental tracking.
There is a clear separation between the ideas of safety and surveillance, according to the quantitative data.
Personal data usage to preemptively stop crimes
The average score was 2.33 out of 5 when asked how comfortable they were with the government having access to data to stop crimes before they happened.
Personal data usage to investigate a crime after the fact
On the other hand, the average comfort level increased to 4.08 when the data was utilized to look into a crime that had already been committed.
Data use for in–app personalization
Based on internal data, students’ acceptance of social media algorithms was moderate, yielding an average score of 3.42.
Data use for out-of-app personalization
They only gave apps that shared data across platforms for personalization a score of 2.5 out of 5, indicating that they were far more cautious.
Free Response
Students’ open-ended responses revealed a profound sense of “digital exhaustion” related to their lack of control. “Privacy feels like it doesn’t exist anymore; you can never truly be alone,” one student wrote, while another voiced worry about databases being subject to “malicious use.” Every respondent also mentioned feeling as though their phones were listening in on their voice conversations in order to display relevant advertisements.
New Jersey, USA
Our findings:
Based on the responses from 20 students in East Brunswick New Jersey, most teens believe that they should be paying attention to politics but they are selective about who they get the information from.
News to keep up with
A majority of students, around 55% say national politics is the most important for youth to keep up with, compared to 35% for local politics and 30% for international politics. This suggests that students care most about big national issues but don’t completely ignore global or local issues. Despite that, 20% of students still chose none, meaning that a decent amount of teens are disconnected from news or feel overwhelmed by all the events that can arise in a day.
How do youth keep up with news?
When it comes to staying informed, the biggest split happens there: 30% use online news, 25% rely solely on family or friends, 25% get information from social media, and 20% don’t keep up with the news at all. For global news, online sources increase to around 35%, while social media remains high at 35% showing that teenagers’ perspective of world events are shaped by fast, informal online platforms rather than the traditional reporting that older people tend to watch.
Credibility
This use of online platforms likely contributes to the average credibility rating being only 2.9 / 5, with a large cluster, 35%, rating their sources at a “3,” showing they trust their information, but only half the time.
Why is/isn’t it important?
The free response section really reinforces the split mindset that many teens have: many students argue that politics heavily impact their future, they believe voting, state of the economy, school decisions, and stability overall influence their lives in the future. While others say that news is stressful, negative and sometimes biased. At this rate, as teens continue to get closer to the voting age, their interest in national politics and issues will only grow. Unless they shift away from gathering information from social media based news, their mistrust about credibility will stay the same. Overall, this generation would like to be informed, but at the same time they are dealing with stress, false information and wrong news at the same time.
Virginia, USA
Our findings:
This month we asked 27 students around the DMV about their opinions on youth following the news.
News to keep up with
We found youth generally find it important that youth follow national and international events.
Local: 16 respondents (59.3%)
National: 24 respondents (89%)
International: 25 (92%)
None: 1 (3.7%)
How do youth keep up with news?
Social media is the primary mechanism for youth in the DMV to access national and international news, with 44% (12 of respondents) selecting it as their most used source for both kinds of news.
The next most common source for keeping up with the news was official newspapers/online news services, with 44% using it to keep up with national news and 37% for international news.
Credibility
Youth are generally confident, but possess a sense of caution at blanket trust of the news they read. A significant cluster—15 of 27 rated their perceived credibility of the news that they consume as four or higher out of five. On the other hand, 12 students rated their perceived confidence as a 2-3, indicating greater caution.
Why is/isn’t it important?
When asked why they found youth following the news important, most respondents mentioned that as youth will soon become strongly impacted from or involved in politics and political decisions, it’s important for them to keep up. Many also cited the critical nature of youth in politics, with one saying that if youth don’t follow politics “our nation will fail to succeed politically in the future.” Others cited the importance of forming critical thinking skills as well as ensuring that the information that one has is accurate.
A respondent who didn’t want youth to follow the news brought up an important consideration that youth kept in mind was ensuring that youth don’t become overwhelmed and stressed, especially during a transitional period in their lives.
How do you form your opinions about what you learn from sources?
Most respondents shared that they gain information from multiple sources (articles, videos, discussion, or prior knowledge) to find what’s most likely to be true. A further verification from some was looking into the credibility of the source, but a concern that was mentioned was the feeling that media—especially social media posts—tended to form opinions for them: “My opinions sometimes feel like I’m just echoing what’s popular online. These days I’ve been trying to stop before I go into the comment section and think about what I actually think or believe” said one student.
Some students acknowledged that their opinions are formed strongly by the people around them.
California, USA
Our findings:
I surveyed 24 students at a school with around 2,000 students about their perspectives on news and politics in Westminster, California. The survey was open for around 2 weeks, and overall I found that most students think politics is important, but they usually keep up with it through social media, family, and short online videos rather than traditional news sources.
News to keep up with
When asked which topics are important for youth their age to follow and keep up with, most students said national politics and major global events.
How do youth keep up with news?
When asked what their primary mechanism was for keeping up with national news, most students said social media is the main way they stay informed. When asked what their primary mechanism was for keeping up with global news, students gave similar answers
Credibility
When asked how credible they found their sources of information regarding political events on a scale of one to five, most students chose the middle scores, which shows that they trust some sources but still question others. This suggests that students are aware that online news can be biased or dramatic depending on where they get it.
Why is/isn’t it important?
In the free-response question, students said it is important for high school students to stay aware of politics because it affects schools, the economy, and the future they will live in. Some students also said politics can feel confusing, stressful, or too far away from everyday teen life, which is why many do not pay attention all the time. One student said they care because politics affects “our future,” while another said they only pay attention when it “directly affects me or people close to me.”
How do you form your opinions about what you learn from sources?
When asked how they form opinions about what they learn from their sources, many students said they compare different sources, talk to family or friends, and try to decide what seems most factual. Overall, I think the survey shows that students in my community do care about politics, but they mostly rely on social media and convenience to keep up with it. Compared with other places where students might use newspapers or news articles more often, students here seem more influenced by what is easy to access and what feels personally relevant. The results suggest that instead of ignoring politics, teens are trying to understand and take in news in a way that is easiest to them.