American teens overwhelmingly call news media ‘fake’ and ‘biased’ in new study
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A study published in November by the News Literary Project found that American teenagers do not trust the media in the United States; because 80% believe journalists fail to report more unbiased information than other online content.
Nearly half of young Americans said journalists “harm democracy rather than protect it.” study found.
Trust in news media among Americans overall reached a new low in October 2025, according to a Gallup poll; Only 28% of Americans said they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the news.
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A November survey found that young people in America distrust the news media. (Getty/iStock)
The News Literary Project found that a majority (84%) of young people describe the news media negatively, using words like “fake,” “false,” “lies,” “boring,” “crazy,” “biased” and “chaotic.”
Only 9% of teens used positive words like “interesting” or “good” to describe the media. The study also found that 7% used neutral words to describe it, while some simply listed social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Facebook. Others used general topics like “Trump” and “War” to describe it.
Half or more of American teenagers believe professional journalists “regularly” engage in unethical behavior, according to the study. These behaviors include giving favors to sources in exchange for information, giving special treatment to advertisers, fabricating details or taking photos and videos out of context, according to the study.
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The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying the TikTok home screen on October 14, 2022 in Boston. (Michael Dwyer/AP Photo)
The New Literacy Project surveyed U.S. adolescents ages 13 to 18, also conducting the survey in 2024. Data was collected between April and May 2025.
Participants were also asked to indicate the movies or TV programs that come to mind when they think of journalism.
According to the research, young people are most likely to choose the Spider-Man series when it comes to journalism. The teens also mentioned “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “The Post,” “Spotlight,” the Superman series and “All the President’s Men.”
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A group of young people are on their phones. (iStock)
A Gallup poll released in October found that only 36% of Americans said they were “not very confident,” while 34% said they were “not at all” confident.
The findings showed that overall trust in the media fell below 30% for the first time in the survey’s 50-year history, falling below a record low of 31% in 2024.
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Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
