Hungarians have a hard time filtering out fake news, especially for young people

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 02. 14. 09:55

Fake news poses a threat to more than half of young people – this is revealed by the answers to the first Big Student Awareness Net Test. The national educational game was launched for the second time by DUE Media Network and Yettel, among other things, to help students protect themselves from harmful content. The online quiz assesses the candidates’ abilities in topics such as secure passwords, cyberbullying, digital detox, and the role of AI in spreading fake news.

The internet has become an indispensable part of our everyday lives, but the development of the digital space – which is further amplified by the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) – carries with it many new, previously unknown dangers. Moreover, children and young people are particularly at risk: online bullying, phishing, AI-manipulated content, and the spread of false information are becoming increasingly widespread. Moreover, last year’s Big Student Awareness Net Test, completed by more than 16 thousand students, revealed that the participants knew the least number of correct answers to questions in the fake news category.

– We think that young people do not need help on social media platforms, because they can skillfully post content on TikTok – said Balázs Koren, the professional manager of ProSuli. – They should not be let go. During last year’s Big Student Awareness Net Test, it turned out that on average more than half of the respondents, 52 percent to be precise, are inexperienced in the field of fake news. It is important for them, and for all internet users, to collect information from multiple sources, as this is the only way to filter out fake news.

In order for as many young people as possible to recognize the dangers of the internet and protect themselves from harmful content, DUE Media Network and Yettel launched a game called Big Student Awareness Net Test for educational purposes. The online quiz assesses the candidates’ skills in topics such as secure passwords, cyberbullying, digital detox, and the role of AI in spreading fake news, among others. The test can be completed by any age group until April 27 at nagydiaktesztek.hu/tudatosnetteszt2, but only young people between the ages of 14 and 20 can participate in the competition with valuable prizes. The 1,000 players with the best results from the first online round, which takes place between February 10 and April 27, will be invited to the online semi-finals on May 5, 2025. From there, the 20 competitors with the best results will advance to the online final, where participants can complete the all-decisive series of questions on May 8, 2025.