ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Media Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicMis/Disinformation and Health: Individual, National, and Global ImplicationsView all 5 articles
Does Fact-Checking COVID-19 Fake News on Social Media Correct Readers' False Beliefs? A Study of Chinese Youths
Provisionally accepted
Zhou Shuhuan1*
Yimin Zhao2- 1Tianjin University, Tianjin, Tianjin, China
- 2Peking University Third Hospital, Haidian, Beijing Municipality, China
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Objective: To examine whether fact-checking COVID-19 fake news on social media corrects false beliefs among Chinese youths, and identifies factors influencing its effectiveness. Methods: We conducted an experiment with 660 Chinese university students to compare the impact of exposure and no exposure to fact-checking on correcting misconceptions in the context of fake COVID-19 news. Results: Fact-checking significantly reduced belief in fake COVID-19 news among Chinese youths, particularly among those who initially believed it or were uncertain. In the absence of fact-checking, beliefs remained unchanged. Young people who perceived the negative impact of fake news on themselves were more receptive to fact-checking, enhancing its effectiveness Conclusion: This study highlights the need to tailor fact-checking strategies to audience perceptions, showing that addressing perceived harm on themselves from fake news can boost acceptance of corrections. By examining fact-checking in a non-Western context, it deepens understanding of how cultural and situational factors influence the effectiveness of combating fake news.
Keywords: fact-checking, effectiveness, COVID-19, fake news, Social Media, China
Received: 14 Mar 2025; Accepted: 08 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shuhuan and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhou Shuhuan
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