Case study 7 : Spreading rumours and fake news: learning to check information
The context: spreading rumours and fake news
Maya, 14, is very active on Snapchat and TikTok. She regularly shares videos and articles she finds interesting. Her parents, Aline and François, are proud of her curiosity, but they notice that Maya is starting to repeat worrying information seen online without checking the source. This reflects a gap in media and information literacy, a key skill for navigating today’s digital ecosystem.
The problem: unintentionally spreading false content
The situation gradually gets worse, illustrating several mechanisms:
Social amplification
The stories she shares spark tense discussions with her friends, creating an echo chamber where beliefs are reinforced without being checked against facts.
Algorithmic influence
Recommendations of sensationalist videos increase credulity and feed confirmation bias, as Maya is exposed to ever more radical content by predictive recommendation systems.
Emotional stress
Maya feels responsible when her posts cause arguments. She shows social anxiety linked to the fear of disappointing people or losing her online reputation.
The wake-up call
One morning, Aline receives messages from other parents reporting that Maya shared false information about a classmate. She understands it was not malicious, but a lack of source-checking skills. This marks a turning point, moving from a logic of punishment to one of educational mediation.
How Vigiloo helped
The system enabled an approach combining prevention, education and support:
Content analysis
Detection of frequent sharing of unverified information through a source reliability algorithm based on fact-checking databases.
Educational alerts
Contextual notifications encouraging dialogue rather than punishment, following a non-violent communication approach.
Learning guides
Interactive tools to teach Maya to cross-check sources, recognise disinformation tactics and use fact-checking methods.
The results
Maya is developing information metacognition: she is starting to question her sharing reflexes and to apply mental filters before passing on content.
Conflicts with her friends quickly decrease, thanks to better relational skills and a greater ability to defuse rumours.
The parents have discreet, educational monitoring that does not create fear, encouraging parental co-regulation rather than intrusive control.
