For today’s generation of young Scots, the digital landscape has transformed from a space of discovery into a minefield of ambiguity. A recent survey conducted by the youth charity Young Scot, which engaged over 2,600 people aged 11 to 25, reveals that a staggering 80% of participants regularly encounter misinformation online. The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has moved beyond a tech-sector talking point to become a daily reality, with deepfakes and AI-generated imagery making it increasingly difficult to distinguish objective truth from digital fabrication. This isn’t just about harmless pranks; it is about the fundamental erosion of trust in the information that defines their social, educational, and political worlds.
The emotional toll of this environment is heavy. Almost 70% of those surveyed expressed genuine anxiety regarding the accuracy of the content they consume, while six in ten admitted that they frequently struggle to tell what is real. Many young people described an exhausting sense of hyper-vigilance, where the instinct to “question everything” has become a necessary—yet draining—survival strategy. It is no longer enough to scroll through a feed; one must now act as an amateur forensic analyst. As one respondent noted, the feeling of having to be suspicious of practically everything is inherently frustrating, turning what should be a seamless digital experience into a constant, low-level state of cognitive dissonance.
This pervasive uncertainty is creating a culture of cynicism. Finlay Anderson, a 20-year-old trustee for Young Scot, highlights that this climate of doubt doesn’t just affect individual posts—it chips away at the overall value young people place on information as a whole. When a generation feels that any video, image, or article could be a sophisticated deception, they begin to disengage from the pursuit of truth. The survey respondents fear that as AI-generated misinformation improves in quality, the “truth” may soon become obscured beyond recognition, leaving them in a state of confusion that complicates their education and their ability to participate confidently in public discourse.
Despite this weariness, there is no desire—or, realistically, no possibility—for young people to simply unplug and leave the online world behind. Instead, their message is a clear call for accountability. The youth are effectively asking for higher guardrails on social media platforms and more robust government regulation of AI technologies. They recognize that the burden of verification is being pushed onto the individual user, and they are demanding that tech companies and policymakers take ownership of the “tidal wave” of falsehoods that they are currently expected to navigate largely on their own.
Beyond the specific mechanics of digital literacy, the report underscores the demand for better infrastructure to support young citizens. John Loughton, the chief executive of Young Scot, emphasizes that this isn’t just a request for better software; it is a plea for protection. Providing young people with the critical thinking tools to assess information is no longer just a peripheral skill—it is essential for their wellbeing. If they are to maintain trust in their society, they need the resources to distinguish fact from fiction with confidence, rather than being forced to endure a constant, overwhelming background noise of manipulated content.
Ultimately, the survey reminds us that these young people are not living in a vacuum. While they are grappling with the existential challenges of AI and misinformation, they remain deeply concerned about the tangible, physical world around them. Issues like child poverty, public service inequality, and rising violence remain top-of-mind concerns. The digital anxiety expressed by these 2,600 young Scots is tied to a wider desire for a more stable, honest, and supportive reality. They are not asking to be protected from the modern world; they are asking to be equipped to thrive in it, demanding a society that prioritizes truth as much as it prioritizes technological progress.