More than one-third of young Australians are now using generative artificial intelligence as a source of news, prompting researchers to call for stronger media literacy education in schools.
The finding comes from the News and Young Australians in 2026 report, produced by researchers from Western Sydney University, Queensland University of Technology and the University of Canberra.
The fourth survey in a longitudinal research project that began in 2017, the study surveyed more than 1,000 young Australians aged 10–17.
It found generative AI is now being used as a source of news by more than one-third of young people – putting it on par with news websites and apps.
Social media remains the second most preferred source of news among young Australians.
The findings raise questions for schools about whether students are being adequately prepared not only to use emerging digital technologies, but to assess the accuracy and reliability of the information those technologies provide.
Less than half of young people surveyed said they were confident they could distinguish fact from fiction online. Almost one-third of those who had shared a news story online in the previous six months later discovered the story was false.
Professor Tanya Notley, lead author and a researcher at Western Sydney University’s School of Arts and Institute for Culture and Society, said the findings pointed to an urgent need for enhanced news media literacy education in schools.
“Young people who receive more news media literacy lessons in school demonstrate greater digital media knowledge but there is still a disconnect between what young people know and how they actually behave,” Professor Notley said.
The research found that while many young people could correctly identify how search engines and social media algorithms work, this technical knowledge did not necessarily translate into practices such as verifying information or checking sources.
“News media literacy education needs to support young people to move beyond ‘how it works’ to ‘how to act’,” Professor Notley said.
The findings highlight a growing challenge as generative AI becomes embedded in the way students find and consume information.
The researchers argue that media literacy needs to extend beyond teaching students how digital platforms operate, instead developing their capacity to make informed decisions about the information they encounter.
The research also found that the way young people access news changes as they get older.
Children aged 10–12 most often rely on teachers and parents for news, but increasingly move towards independent and digital news engagement during their teenage years.
Dr Simon Chambers, a co-author of the report from Western Sydney University’s MARCS Institute, said this made the pre-teen years an important period for developing students’ understanding of digital media environments.
“It’s important we develop young people’s understanding of digital media environments during their pre-teen years, before they begin navigating news online on their own,” Dr Chambers said.
The researchers also found young people were less engaged with news in 2026 than in the previous survey in 2023.
The report suggests this may be linked to changes in young people’s social media use and a widespread perception that news is not relevant to their lives, with three-quarters of respondents saying news organisations had “no idea” what their lives were like.
The researchers say improving young people’s relationship with news will require greater attention to the issues that matter to them, as well as stronger media literacy education.
The 2026 survey was funded by ABC Education and Western Sydney University.
Source: Western Sydney University, Queensland University of Technology and University of Canberra, News and Young Australians in 2026.