Many people believe they can easily spot fake news online, but a new report suggests we may not be as good at identifying misinformation as we think

Many people believe they can easily spot fake news online, but a new report suggests we may not be as good at identifying misinformation as we think.

Online regulator Ofcom surveyed more than 13,000 UK people who use the internet about their breadth of internet habits, device use and attitudes to social media.

Although seven in 10 adults (69 per cent) said they were confident in identifying misinformation, only one in five (22 per cent) were able to correctly identify the tell-tale signs of a genuine post, without making mistakes.

The pattern was even more striking among older children aged 12-17, with 74 per cent claiming they were confident but only 11 percent able to decipher fact from fiction.

Overall, the study found that ۳۰ per cent of UK adults who go online (14.5 million) are unsure about, or don’t even consider, the truthfulness of the information they see online. 

A further 6 per cent, or about one in every 20 internet users, payday believe everything they see online.