{"id":46453,"date":"2025-12-02T07:22:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T12:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/?p=46453"},"modified":"2025-11-25T16:42:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T21:42:56","slug":"teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Teens and the news: navigating distrust and defining what\u2019s next\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"shariff shariff-align-flex-start shariff-widget-align-flex-start\"><ul class=\"shariff-buttons theme-round orientation-horizontal buttonsize-medium\"><li class=\"shariff-button twitter shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#595959\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontentnext.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F12%2F02%2Fteens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next%2F&text=Teens%20and%20the%20news%3A%20navigating%20distrust%20and%20defining%20what%E2%80%99s%20next%C2%A0&via=DCNorg\" title=\"Share on X\" aria-label=\"Share on X\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#000; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"32px\" height=\"20px\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"#000\" d=\"M14.258 10.152L23.176 0h-2.113l-7.747 8.813L7.133 0H0l9.352 13.328L0 23.973h2.113l8.176-9.309 6.531 9.309h7.133zm-2.895 3.293l-.949-1.328L2.875 1.56h3.246l6.086 8.523.945 1.328 7.91 11.078h-3.246zm0 0\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"shariff-button linkedin shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#1488bf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontentnext.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F12%2F02%2Fteens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next%2F\" title=\"Share on LinkedIn\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#0077b5; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"32px\" height=\"20px\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 27 32\"><path fill=\"#0077b5\" d=\"M6.2 11.2v17.7h-5.9v-17.7h5.9zM6.6 5.7q0 1.3-0.9 2.2t-2.4 0.9h0q-1.5 0-2.4-0.9t-0.9-2.2 0.9-2.2 2.4-0.9 2.4 0.9 0.9 2.2zM27.4 18.7v10.1h-5.9v-9.5q0-1.9-0.7-2.9t-2.3-1.1q-1.1 0-1.9 0.6t-1.2 1.5q-0.2 0.5-0.2 1.4v9.9h-5.9q0-7.1 0-11.6t0-5.3l0-0.9h5.9v2.6h0q0.4-0.6 0.7-1t1-0.9 1.6-0.8 2-0.3q3 0 4.9 2t1.9 6z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"shariff-button mastodon shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#563ACC\"><a href=\"https:\/\/s2f.kytta.dev\/?text=Teens%20and%20the%20news%3A%20navigating%20distrust%20and%20defining%20what%E2%80%99s%20next%C2%A0 https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontentnext.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F12%2F02%2Fteens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next%2F\" title=\"Share on Mastodon\" aria-label=\"Share on Mastodon\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#6364FF; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"75\" height=\"79\" viewBox=\"0 0 75 79\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M37.813-.025C32.462-.058 27.114.13 21.79.598c-8.544.621-17.214 5.58-20.203 13.931C-1.12 23.318.408 32.622.465 41.65c.375 7.316.943 14.78 3.392 21.73 4.365 9.465 14.781 14.537 24.782 15.385 7.64.698 15.761-.213 22.517-4.026a54.1 54.1 0 0 0 .01-6.232c-6.855 1.316-14.101 2.609-21.049 1.074-3.883-.88-6.876-4.237-7.25-8.215-1.53-3.988 3.78-.43 5.584-.883 9.048 1.224 18.282.776 27.303-.462 7.044-.837 14.26-4.788 16.65-11.833 2.263-6.135 1.215-12.79 1.698-19.177.06-3.84.09-7.692-.262-11.52C72.596 7.844 63.223.981 53.834.684a219.453 219.453 0 0 0-16.022-.71zm11.294 12.882c5.5-.067 10.801 4.143 11.67 9.653.338 1.48.471 3 .471 4.515v21.088h-8.357c-.07-7.588.153-15.182-.131-22.765-.587-4.368-7.04-5.747-9.672-2.397-2.422 3.04-1.47 7.155-1.67 10.735v6.392h-8.307c-.146-4.996.359-10.045-.404-15.002-1.108-4.218-7.809-5.565-10.094-1.666-1.685 3.046-.712 6.634-.976 9.936v14.767h-8.354c.109-8.165-.238-16.344.215-24.5.674-5.346 5.095-10.389 10.676-10.627 4.902-.739 10.103 2.038 12.053 6.631.375 1.435 1.76 1.932 1.994.084 1.844-3.704 5.501-6.739 9.785-6.771.367-.044.735-.068 1.101-.073z\"\/><defs><linearGradient id=\"paint0_linear_549_34\" x1=\"37.0692\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"37.0692\" y2=\"79\" gradientUnits=\"userSpaceOnUse\"><stop stop-color=\"#6364FF\"\/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#563ACC\"\/><\/linearGradient><\/defs><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Teens have grown up in an always-on information environment. They scroll through feeds that mix news, entertainment, opinion, advertising, and misinformation. They live inside a swirl of voices that compete for their attention and reward reaction over clarity. As a result, today\u2019s teens approach news with deep skepticism and strong emotion, according to a new report from the <a href=\"https:\/\/newslit.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">News Literacy Project<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The report underscores how valuable this audience is for news organizations and how important it is for news organizations to understand their expectations. The latest U.S. Census data shows 69.31 million Gen Z individuals living in the U.S., totaling more than 20% of the population. Their spending power is projected to reach $2.7 trillion in the next few years and as much as $12 trillion by 2030, according to NielsenIQ. However, this large and influential audience brings new challenges, interests, and expectations for the news media. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/one-word-description-news.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"993\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/one-word-description-news-993x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46458\" style=\"width:408px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/one-word-description-news-993x1024.jpg 993w, https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/one-word-description-news-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/one-word-description-news-768x792.jpg 768w, https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/one-word-description-news.jpg 1347w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 993px) 100vw, 993px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-negative-impressions-nbsp\">Negative impressions&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The News Literacy Project report shows that teens hold overwhelmingly negative impressions of the news media. When researchers ask teens for a single word that describes news media today, 84% choose a negative one. The most common responses include \u201cFake,\u201d \u201cCrazy,\u201d \u201cBoring,\u201d \u201cBiased,\u201d and \u201cSad.\u201d A word cloud in the report fills with these terms, bold and unavoidable. Teens also describe the news environment as chaotic, overwhelming, inflammatory, and stressful. They form these views long before they develop steady news habits. They live in an information ecosystem that presents news as noise instead of a tool for understanding. They experience news as something that interrupts rather than one that informs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mixed-views-on-journalists-nbsp\">Mixed views on journalists&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Teens are also skeptical about journalists themselves. When teens think about what journalists do well, 37% offer a negative response. Many say journalists lie, deceive, exaggerate, or push an agenda. These reactions show how deeply teens mistrust the content they encounter. At the same time, teens also point to traits they admire about media pros. They highlight informing the public, uncovering the truth, and creating strong storytelling. The report suggests the mix of frustration and hope implies something deeper. They understand journalism as an ideal separate from the sloppy, crowded feeds they scroll through every day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-teens-want-honesty-accuracy-and-fairness-nbsp\">Teens want honesty, accuracy, and fairness&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/journalist-improve-news.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"423\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/journalist-improve-news-423x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46457\" style=\"width:309px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/journalist-improve-news-423x1024.jpg 423w, https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/journalist-improve-news-124x300.jpg 124w, https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/journalist-improve-news.jpg 554w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 423px) 100vw, 423px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Teens care most about accuracy and honesty. When researchers ask how journalists could improve, teens focus first on getting the facts right. Their strongest cluster of feedback centers on truthfulness. They want reporting that includes multiple perspectives, explains the full story, and offers fairness and clarity. They want journalism that informs rather than inflames. Teens do not reject the idea of news; they challenge the versions they see most often.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Teens also express clear expectations for journalism. About 41% say honesty and factual accuracy matter most, and another 20% ask for less bias and stronger balance. When teens point to positive actions journalists take, they most often cite informing the public and uncovering the truth. Their expectations align closely with the strongest principles of standards-based journalism. They want reporters who demonstrate credibility, show their work, and respect their audience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-confusion-about-journalism-nbsp\">Confusion about journalism&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The News Literacy Project also identifies widening confusion among teens about how journalism works. Many teens believe unethical actions take place far more often than standards-based practices. They believe journalists take photos or videos out of context, make up quotes, or give advertisers special treatment. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These beliefs have arisen from the information landscape teens navigate every day. They see content that looks like news but ignores journalistic standards. They see creators who chase attention through tactics that break the rules of credible reporting. Because teens encounter these blended forms of information nonstop, they often treat all content as equal and struggle to distinguish between reporting, entertainment, persuasion, and fabrication.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-teens-signal-what-they-need-from-news-nbsp\">Teens signal what they need from news&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The research reveals serious challenges, yet it also shows momentum. Teens hold the potential to become a significant new audience for news companies. They want reporting that treats them as thoughtful people who seek meaning, not noise.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They express frustration because they rarely see consistent standards in the content that reaches them. Their critiques point to gaps in clarity, confusion about information types, and constant exposure to low-quality or misleading content. Yet even as they voice these concerns, they show a clear appreciation for accuracy, balance, and reporting that earns their trust. Their expectations align with the core principles of credible journalism. This audience offers news organizations not just feedback, but a roadmap for building meaningful, lasting connections with a rising generation of news consumers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"shariff shariff-align-flex-start shariff-widget-align-flex-start\"><ul class=\"shariff-buttons theme-round orientation-horizontal buttonsize-medium\"><li class=\"shariff-button twitter shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#595959\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontentnext.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F12%2F02%2Fteens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next%2F&text=Teens%20and%20the%20news%3A%20navigating%20distrust%20and%20defining%20what%E2%80%99s%20next%C2%A0&via=DCNorg\" title=\"Share on X\" aria-label=\"Share on X\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#000; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"32px\" height=\"20px\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"#000\" d=\"M14.258 10.152L23.176 0h-2.113l-7.747 8.813L7.133 0H0l9.352 13.328L0 23.973h2.113l8.176-9.309 6.531 9.309h7.133zm-2.895 3.293l-.949-1.328L2.875 1.56h3.246l6.086 8.523.945 1.328 7.91 11.078h-3.246zm0 0\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"shariff-button linkedin shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#1488bf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontentnext.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F12%2F02%2Fteens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next%2F\" title=\"Share on LinkedIn\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#0077b5; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"32px\" height=\"20px\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 27 32\"><path fill=\"#0077b5\" d=\"M6.2 11.2v17.7h-5.9v-17.7h5.9zM6.6 5.7q0 1.3-0.9 2.2t-2.4 0.9h0q-1.5 0-2.4-0.9t-0.9-2.2 0.9-2.2 2.4-0.9 2.4 0.9 0.9 2.2zM27.4 18.7v10.1h-5.9v-9.5q0-1.9-0.7-2.9t-2.3-1.1q-1.1 0-1.9 0.6t-1.2 1.5q-0.2 0.5-0.2 1.4v9.9h-5.9q0-7.1 0-11.6t0-5.3l0-0.9h5.9v2.6h0q0.4-0.6 0.7-1t1-0.9 1.6-0.8 2-0.3q3 0 4.9 2t1.9 6z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"shariff-button mastodon shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#563ACC\"><a href=\"https:\/\/s2f.kytta.dev\/?text=Teens%20and%20the%20news%3A%20navigating%20distrust%20and%20defining%20what%E2%80%99s%20next%C2%A0 https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontentnext.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F12%2F02%2Fteens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next%2F\" title=\"Share on Mastodon\" aria-label=\"Share on Mastodon\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#6364FF; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"75\" height=\"79\" viewBox=\"0 0 75 79\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M37.813-.025C32.462-.058 27.114.13 21.79.598c-8.544.621-17.214 5.58-20.203 13.931C-1.12 23.318.408 32.622.465 41.65c.375 7.316.943 14.78 3.392 21.73 4.365 9.465 14.781 14.537 24.782 15.385 7.64.698 15.761-.213 22.517-4.026a54.1 54.1 0 0 0 .01-6.232c-6.855 1.316-14.101 2.609-21.049 1.074-3.883-.88-6.876-4.237-7.25-8.215-1.53-3.988 3.78-.43 5.584-.883 9.048 1.224 18.282.776 27.303-.462 7.044-.837 14.26-4.788 16.65-11.833 2.263-6.135 1.215-12.79 1.698-19.177.06-3.84.09-7.692-.262-11.52C72.596 7.844 63.223.981 53.834.684a219.453 219.453 0 0 0-16.022-.71zm11.294 12.882c5.5-.067 10.801 4.143 11.67 9.653.338 1.48.471 3 .471 4.515v21.088h-8.357c-.07-7.588.153-15.182-.131-22.765-.587-4.368-7.04-5.747-9.672-2.397-2.422 3.04-1.47 7.155-1.67 10.735v6.392h-8.307c-.146-4.996.359-10.045-.404-15.002-1.108-4.218-7.809-5.565-10.094-1.666-1.685 3.046-.712 6.634-.976 9.936v14.767h-8.354c.109-8.165-.238-16.344.215-24.5.674-5.346 5.095-10.389 10.676-10.627 4.902-.739 10.103 2.038 12.053 6.631.375 1.435 1.76 1.932 1.994.084 1.844-3.704 5.501-6.739 9.785-6.771.367-.044.735-.068 1.101-.073z\"\/><defs><linearGradient id=\"paint0_linear_549_34\" x1=\"37.0692\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"37.0692\" y2=\"79\" gradientUnits=\"userSpaceOnUse\"><stop stop-color=\"#6364FF\"\/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#563ACC\"\/><\/linearGradient><\/defs><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Teens have grown up in an always-on information environment. They scroll through feeds that mix news, entertainment, opinion, advertising, and misinformation. They live inside a swirl of voices that compete&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1966,"featured_media":46460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5015,91,19],"tags":[37,2563],"coauthors":[2079],"class_list":["post-46453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-audiences","category-industry-research","category-research","tag-audiences","tag-gen-z"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Teens and the news: navigating distrust and defining what\u2019s next\u00a0 - Digital Content Next<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While they are skeptical of the news, teens&#039; expectations align with core journalistic standards and point to a path for deeper engagement.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Teens and the news: navigating distrust and defining what\u2019s next\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Teens have grown up in an always-on information environment. They scroll through feeds that mix news, entertainment, opinion, advertising, and\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Digital Content Next\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-02T12:22:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/TeensDistrustNews.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"867\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rande Price, Research VP \u2013 DCN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@DCNorg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@DCNorg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rande Price, Research VP \u2013 DCN\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/02\\\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/02\\\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rande Price, Research VP \u2013 DCN\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/922e4317799c5d2786a72e7bdc42e918\"},\"headline\":\"Teens and the news: navigating distrust and defining what\u2019s next\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-02T12:22:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/02\\\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":766,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/02\\\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/TeensDistrustNews.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"audiences\",\"Gen Z\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Audiences\",\"Industry-Research\",\"Research\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/02\\\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/02\\\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\\\/\",\"name\":\"Teens and the news: navigating distrust and defining what\u2019s next\u00a0 - Digital Content Next\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/02\\\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/02\\\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/TeensDistrustNews.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-02T12:22:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"While they are skeptical of the news, teens' expectations align with core journalistic standards and point to a path for deeper engagement.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/02\\\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/02\\\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/02\\\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/TeensDistrustNews.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/TeensDistrustNews.jpg\",\"width\":867,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"-teen girl staring unhappily at phone to show distrust in news-\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/02\\\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Teens and the news: navigating distrust and defining what\u2019s next\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"Digital Content Next\",\"description\":\"Official Website\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Digital Content Next\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/DCN-Logo-Large.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/DCN-Logo-Large.png\",\"width\":2050,\"height\":1276,\"caption\":\"Digital Content Next\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/DCNorg\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/online-publishers-association\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/922e4317799c5d2786a72e7bdc42e918\",\"name\":\"Rande Price, Research VP \u2013 DCN\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/524ee1b8fbddc294f9690faa6f660489ca42c594f6a8e96b2ba694d03752a0e4?s=96&d=mm&r=gb438d6a29939ae38cb9bda0c12657268\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/524ee1b8fbddc294f9690faa6f660489ca42c594f6a8e96b2ba694d03752a0e4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/524ee1b8fbddc294f9690faa6f660489ca42c594f6a8e96b2ba694d03752a0e4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rande Price, Research VP \u2013 DCN\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/randeprice\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/digitalcontentnext.org\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/randedigitalcontentnext-org\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Teens and the news: navigating distrust and defining what\u2019s next\u00a0 - Digital Content Next","description":"While they are skeptical of the news, teens' expectations align with core journalistic standards and point to a path for deeper engagement.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Teens and the news: navigating distrust and defining what\u2019s next\u00a0","og_description":"Teens have grown up in an always-on information environment. They scroll through feeds that mix news, entertainment, opinion, advertising, and","og_url":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/","og_site_name":"Digital Content Next","article_published_time":"2025-12-02T12:22:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":867,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/TeensDistrustNews.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Rande Price, Research VP \u2013 DCN","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@DCNorg","twitter_site":"@DCNorg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rande Price, Research VP \u2013 DCN","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/"},"author":{"name":"Rande Price, Research VP \u2013 DCN","@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/#\/schema\/person\/922e4317799c5d2786a72e7bdc42e918"},"headline":"Teens and the news: navigating distrust and defining what\u2019s next\u00a0","datePublished":"2025-12-02T12:22:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/"},"wordCount":766,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/TeensDistrustNews.jpg","keywords":["audiences","Gen Z"],"articleSection":["Audiences","Industry-Research","Research"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/","url":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/","name":"Teens and the news: navigating distrust and defining what\u2019s next\u00a0 - Digital Content Next","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/TeensDistrustNews.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-02T12:22:00+00:00","description":"While they are skeptical of the news, teens' expectations align with core journalistic standards and point to a path for deeper engagement.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/TeensDistrustNews.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/TeensDistrustNews.jpg","width":867,"height":400,"caption":"-teen girl staring unhappily at phone to show distrust in news-"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/02\/teens-and-the-news-navigating-distrust-and-defining-whats-next\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Teens and the news: navigating distrust and defining what\u2019s next\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/","name":"Digital Content Next","description":"Official Website","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/#organization","name":"Digital Content Next","url":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/DCN-Logo-Large.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/DCN-Logo-Large.png","width":2050,"height":1276,"caption":"Digital Content Next"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/DCNorg","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/online-publishers-association"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/#\/schema\/person\/922e4317799c5d2786a72e7bdc42e918","name":"Rande Price, Research VP \u2013 DCN","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/524ee1b8fbddc294f9690faa6f660489ca42c594f6a8e96b2ba694d03752a0e4?s=96&d=mm&r=gb438d6a29939ae38cb9bda0c12657268","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/524ee1b8fbddc294f9690faa6f660489ca42c594f6a8e96b2ba694d03752a0e4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/524ee1b8fbddc294f9690faa6f660489ca42c594f6a8e96b2ba694d03752a0e4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rande Price, Research VP \u2013 DCN"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/randeprice\/"],"url":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/author\/randedigitalcontentnext-org\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1966"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46453"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46459,"href":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46453\/revisions\/46459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46453"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=46453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}