In an era defined by constant information flow, young people engage daily with digital environments that significantly shape their perceptions and decision-making. Despite the educational potential of technology, it also introduces risks including misinformation, polarisation, and reduced attention. Developing critical thinking, intelligent disobedience, and digital resilience has therefore become essential for their well-being and democratic engagement.
Research indicates that many adolescents struggle to distinguish reliable from false content, and some see online safety as someone else’s responsibility. At the same time, youth perspectives are often missing in traditional research approaches.
The Fact or Fiction report addresses these gaps. It summarises insights from consultations with 95 young people and 30 parents and teachers across Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. It explores how adolescents use the Internet, which risks they identify, how they assess their critical thinking skills, and what support they need.
Using youth-friendly, mixed methodologies, the study led to actionable recommendations for parents, educators, digital platforms, and policymakers. It also provided the foundation for 20 workshop activities designed to strengthen young people’s critical thinking and digital resilience.
This Report has been created as part of the project called Fact or Fiction: Developing Inquiry and Critical Thinking Skills in Youth, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.
