2026 insights

March 2026

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1.	Conspiracy belief, misinformation and disinformation are increasingly seen as a problem by young people, parents and school staff.
2.	Teachers and young people warned that the rise in online conspiracy theories, misinformation and disinformation is tied to the growth of generative AI content.
3.	Children and young people are accessing conspiracy belief, misinformation and disinformation online from a young age, including offensive content.
4.	Parents play an active role in the spread of conspiracy belief, misinformation and disinformation amongst young people.
5.	Teachers feel that parents both compound the challenges of, and complicate their ability to address, online conspiracy belief, misinformation and disinformation amongst young people.
6.	Teachers, parents and young people all support the introduction of media literacy into the curriculum.
7.	However, school staff continue to feel ill-equipped, underresourced and nervous in tackling online conspiracy belief, misinformation and disinformation… and this is particularly so amongst primary staff.
8.	The inclusion of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy belief within KCSIE has increased awareness of teachers but it has not improved confidence in addressing the challenge.
9.	The lack of clarity within political impartiality guidance is inhibiting teachers’ ability to address conspiracy belief, misinformation and disinformation.The lack of clarity within political impartiality guidance is inhibiting teachers’ ability to address conspiracy belief, misinformation and disinformation.
10.	Youth workers recognise that conspiracy belief, misinformation and disinformation is an issue amongst young people, although they see this in the context of wider societal challenges.