News and Australian Children: How Young People Access, Perceive and are Affected by the News

The internet has changed the way young Australians participate in society. Digital platforms now rival traditional media, such as television, for young people’s attention when it comes to accessing information and entertainment. Yet we have little understanding of the impact of these changes on young Australians’ interactions with news media. When we looked to assess Australian national studies that had already examined news media literacy in the digital age for children under 18 years, we found very little. In fact, no national survey has ever examined how young people consume, experience and verify news in Australia. News is now produced and circulated more rapidly using an ever-growing number of social media platforms, while social media users now encounter news from a range of sources including while news events are still unfolding. The pace of news production and circulation makes verifying sources and content more complicated and this has led to a number of recent flashpoints for claims and counter-claims of fake news at critical moments during elections, natural disasters and acts of terrorism. By highlighting how young Australians aged 8-16 years access, classify, experience, consume and critique news media in this report, we hope to open up a conversation about news media literacy in Australia. We want the survey findings to support evidence-based discussions – with governments, schools, parents, news producers, online platforms and most of all, with young people themselves – about what needs to be done to ensure young Australians are able to access news, use news and participate in news in ways that meaningfully support their participation in society.