A recent survey by the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) asked more than 3,000 high-school students and recent graduates about how world event misinformation influences them. The results were striking: 99% of respondents said that misinformation in the news media was contributing to their anxiety or worry about current events. Georgia Public Broadcasting. For a college student audience, this matters because we often consume rapid news updates, viral posts, and trending content, and the emotional impact of being misinformed (or aware of misinformation) can affect our mental health, sense of agency, and how we engage with media.
This claim is largely accurate given the survey data, but it’s worth noting the nuance: the sample is high-school students and recent grads, rather than exclusively college students; “misinformation in news media” is broad; and “increases anxiety” doesn’t specify magnitude or causation. Nonetheless, the claim highlights a real problem: the prevalence of misinformation is creating measurable psychological stress among younger people.
