Kids are consuming news — but not often through news apps, study finds

By Ren LaForme, managing editor

While many young people turn to trusted outlets like CNN or The Associated Press during major news events, they don’t regularly use news apps, a new study found.

Only about one in nine 11- to 13-year-olds said they regularly get their news this way, according to the Life in Media Survey led by Dr. Justin Martin at the University of South Florida. 

Speaking on “The Poynter Report Podcast,” Martin said he found the number “not that bad” for the age group. 

“News copy is typically written for an eighth-grade audience,” he said. “Some of it’s going to be a little bit over their heads.” Still, 30% of kids surveyed said they never use news apps at all.

More concerning to Martin was the prevalence of news avoidance. 

Half of the respondents said they avoid the news either “sometimes” or “often.” That includes 16% who reported frequently steering clear of current events, which Martin said may stem from feelings that news is boring or hard to understand. Prior research, he added, suggests adolescents often struggle with political jargon and unfamiliar public figures.

Despite these gaps, many kids show strong awareness of misinformation. Roughly 20% of respondents said they encounter fake news online every day.

“We want to know how frequently they feel they’re exposed to information that’s not true,” Martin said. He credited programs like Poynter’s MediaWise — which helped develop the survey — for promoting media literacy among young audiences.

The rest of the wide-ranging conversation touched on the role of family and peers in how kids access news, cyberbullying, the use of artificial intelligence in schoolwork and the impact of late-night screen time on sleep.

Listen to the full conversation with Martin on “The Poynter Report Podcast,” hosted by Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones. This is part two of their discussion on the Life in Media Survey; part one covers kids’ smartphone use and mental health.

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Previous episodes

• Dr. Justin Martin of the University of South Florida shares surprising results from a study on screen time and child wellness
• Poynter’s senior media writer and managing editor preview Poynter’s big anniversary project on 50 stories that changed journalism over the last 50 years
• Longtime media reporter Paul Farhi says the White House is sending the message that critical coverage has a cost
• Athletic media reporter Richard Deitsch predicts Tom Brady’s future in the broadcast booth
• IFCN director Angie Drobnic Holan points to X’s fact-checking system as a cautionary tale
• Media veteran Elliott Wiser dramatically reimagines local TV news to ensure its survival

Credits

The Poynter Report Podcast is produced by the Department of Journalism and Digital Communication at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg

• Host: Tom Jones
• Executive Producers: Elliott Wiser and Ren LaForme
• Producers: Rhiannon Mcisaac, Noah Chase and Tom Jones
• Director: Christopher Campbell
• Special thank you: Neil Brown and Dr. Mark Walters