They scroll endlessly, swipe instinctively, and double-tap faster than they blink. But when it comes to spotting fake news? Gen Z is flunking the test. In a Stanford study, only three out of 3,446 high schoolers identified a viral video as Russian propaganda.
Why? The toxic cycle of algorithm-driven echo chambers, distrust of institutions, and comment sections as “fact-checking.” From beef fat as skincare to geo-engineered hurricanes, this is more than just TikTok weirdness — it’s a systemic media literacy failure that risks reshaping not just a generation, but democracy itself. And yes, this is exactly why The Core exists.
