How does misinformation spread?

Misinformation is like a rumor that grows bigger as it travels.

Imagine you're playing tag at recess, and someone says, "The teacher is coming!" You run, but when you get to the end of the playground, no one is there. That's misinformation, a message that isn't true, and people believe it because they heard it from someone else.

Think of misinformation like a game of telephone. The first person says something, and each next person hears it slightly wrong. Before long, the whole class thinks the teacher is coming every day for no reason at all!

Sometimes, people want to be heard or believe what they're told. It's like when you see a cool video on your phone, you might show it to your friend, and then your friend shows it to their brother, and before you know it, the whole school is watching that same video!

Misinformation can spread quickly because it's easy to share, just like how you pass notes in class. And sometimes, people don't stop to check if what they're sharing is true.