Image of a person using their phone and putting their hand to forehead in concern

Shutterstock.com

Article Options

Presentation View
Teaching Resources

Lexile® measure

Can You Trust TikTok?

Fake videos are all over social media. Find out how to avoid getting fooled—and fooling others.

As You Read, Think About: What are some ways to stop the spread of false info online?

Last year, a couple of shocking videos had students at Williams Middle School talking. One showed a group of students fighting at the school in Rockwall, Texas. In the other, a school security officer was arresting one of the kids. Before long, more than 450 people were following the account that posted the video. Many of them had no idea that both videos were fake.

The videos were part of a project done by Kit Atteberry and three other students. They wanted to find out just how easily kids believe outrageous things on social media.

“I was surprised by how easy it was to fool people online,” says 14-year-old Kit. 

Countless videos on social media aren’t what they appear to be. An organization called NewsGuard recently reviewed more than 500 TikTok search results. The study found that 1 in 5 videos TikTok suggested contained misinformation. That’s false, sometimes dangerous, information that is presented as the truth. In some cases, the videos included false info about important topics, like Covid-19 or the war in Ukraine.

Last year, two shocking videos had students at Williams Middle School talking. One showed a group of students fighting at the school in Rockwall, Texas. In the other, a school security officer was arresting one of the kids. Before long, more than 450 people were following the account that posted the video. Many of them had no idea that both videos were fake.

The videos were part of a project done by Kit Atteberry and three other students. They wanted to find out just how easily kids believe outrageous things on social media.

“I was surprised by how easy it was to fool people online,” says 14-year-old Kit. 

There are countless videos on social media. And many of them aren’t what they appear to be. An organization called NewsGuard recently reviewed more than 500 TikTok search results. The study found that 1 in 5 videos TikTok suggested contained misinformation. That’s false, sometimes dangerous, information that is presented as the truth. In some cases, the videos included false info about important topics. This included Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine.

Shutterstock.com

On average, Americans spend 82 minutes a day on TikTok.

Faking It

TikTok, like Instagram and Snapchat, was created as an entertainment app. But as TikTok has grown in popularity, more people are relying on it for news. 

Most people look for info online using search engines like Google. But many kids and teens now turn to TikTok to search for info. One reason is that some kids prefer to scroll through short TikTok videos instead of pages full of text. Plus, the clips are often posted by an influencer that kids trust or someone they know.

“Just because a friend shares a video doesn’t mean it’s reliable,” says Howard Schneider. He’s a media expert at Stony Brook University in New York. “You need to evaluate it yourself.” 

That can be hard. Videos meant to be jokes are often mistaken for fact. And you don’t need to be an expert to edit videos so they seem real. To make the fake fight look believable, Kit shot shaky footage. Then he and his friends added sound effects.

“It was easy,” explains Kit. “It took maybe 5 or 10 minutes.” 

Instagram and Snapchat were created as entertainment apps. TikTok was too. TikTok has grown in popularity. Now more people rely on it for news. 

Most people look for info online using search engines like Google. But many kids and teens now turn to TikTok to search for info. One reason is that some kids prefer to scroll through short TikTok videos. They don’t want to scroll through pages full of text. Plus, the clips are often posted by an influencer kids trust. Sometimes they’re posted by a person they know.

“Just because a friend shares a video doesn’t mean it’s reliable,” says Howard Schneider. He’s a media expert at Stony Brook University in New York. “You need to evaluate it yourself.” 

That can be hard. Videos meant to be jokes are often mistaken for fact. And you don’t need to be an expert to edit videos. It’s easy to make them seem real. Kit shot shaky footage to make the fake fight look believable. Then he and his friends added sound effects.

“It was easy,” explains Kit. “It took maybe 5 or 10 minutes.” 

Think Twice

TikTok says it’s committed to fighting false info. Hundreds of millions of videos were removed from the app in 2022. Many of them contained harmful info. Still, there are more than 1 billion active users on TikTok each month, so videos can go viral quickly. How can you make sure what you’re seeing is real?

“Be skeptical and ask questions,” Schneider advises. “And never share anything until you’re sure it’s true.”

TikTok says it’s committed to fighting false info. Hundreds of millions of videos were removed from the app in 2022. Many of them contained harmful info. Still, there are more than 1 billion active users on TikTok each month. Because of this, videos can go viral quickly. How can you make sure what you’re seeing is real?

“Be skeptical and ask questions,” Schneider advises. “And never share anything until you’re sure it’s true.”

Don't Be Fooled!

Want to know what’s really going on—and not be known as the person who spreads false info? Follow these steps to help you tell fact from fiction.

Shutterstock.com

  • QUESTION IT: If a video seems unbelievable, it probably is. Fact-check it before sharing.
  • START SEARCHING: A story this big would appear on trustworthy news sites. If you can’t find it, the video is likely not real. 
  • CHECK THE SOURCE: Is it an expert on the topic or a news site? If not, it may not be trustworthy.
  • HASH IT OUT: Hashtags sometimes clearly state that a video is fake or just for fun.
  • READ THE COMMENTS: People who have already fact-checked the video may point out whether it is true or false. 
  • LOOK FOR CLUES: Spelling errors and words in all caps are hints that a video was not made by a reliable source. 


Don't Be Fooled!

Want to know what’s really going on—and not be known as the person who spreads false info? Follow these steps to help you tell fact from fiction.

Shutterstock.com


  • QUESTION IT: If a video seems unbelievable, it probably is. Fact-check it before sharing.
  • START SEARCHING: A story this big would appear on trustworthy news sites. If you can’t find it, the video is likely not real. 
  • CHECK THE SOURCE: Is it an expert on the topic or a news site? If not, it may not be trustworthy.
  • HASH IT OUT: Hashtags sometimes clearly state that a video is fake or just for fun.
  • READ THE COMMENTS: People who have already fact-checked the video may point out whether it is true or false. 
  • LOOK FOR CLUES: Spelling errors and words in all caps are hints that a video was not made by a reliable source. 
  1. Why did Kit Atteberry and three other students at Williams Middle School post fake videos?
  2. What is misinformation, according to the article?
  3. According to the sidebar, “Don’t Be Fooled!,” what are two steps you could take to tell fact from fiction in a video?
  1. Why did Kit Atteberry and three other students at Williams Middle School post fake videos?
  2. What is misinformation, according to the article?
  3. According to the sidebar, “Don’t Be Fooled!,” what are two steps you could take to tell fact from fiction in a video?
videos (1)
Skills Sheets (4)
Skills Sheets (4)
Skills Sheets (4)
Skills Sheets (4)
Games (1)
TEACHER SUPPORT (1)
Leveled Articles (1)
Text-to-Speech