New research from MediaSmarts shows educational videos encourage people to fact-check

April 30, 2025

Ottawa, ON - New research released from MediaSmarts shows that educational videos like the ones featuring the house hippo as part of the Break the Fake campaign encourage people to fact-check and avoid sharing false information.

"Education is essential in the fight against misinformation in Canada," says Dr. Kara Brisson-Boivin, Director of Research at MediaSmarts. "Our research shows that short, clear and practical educational videos help people recognize and respond to misinformation."  

MediaSmarts created five short educational videos in 2024 as part of their Break the Fake campaign featuring the house hippo to address online misinformation and specifically to tackle AI-generated deepfakes. 

This study, funded by Canadian Heritage, was designed to test the effectiveness of these videos over two phases: a survey of 5,000 Canadians and interactive focus groups with 33 participants.  

Participants who watched one of the five videos were less likely to share a false image than those who didn’t watch any video, and participants who watched the video on how to fact-check were more likely to 'look up' information to determine its accuracy. 

The research also reveals that most people believe they are better at spotting misinformation than they actually are, confirming the importance of fostering critical thinking and intellectual humility. 

“To tackle this issue, we must equip people of all ages with simple, effective tools for verifying information,” Dr. Brisson-Boivin continues. “This research confirms that digital media literacy education works. It helps people fact-check online content, slowing the spread of misinformation, and empowers Canadians to share accurate information. “  

This project has been made possible by the Government of Canada.

Contact:

Tricia Grant
Director of Marketing and Communications
MediaSmarts
613-224-7721 ext. 231
tgrant@mediasmarts.ca

About MediaSmarts 
MediaSmarts is Canada’s bilingual centre for digital media literacy. A registered charity, MediaSmarts has been conducting research, developing resources and advancing digital media literacy since 1996. Their vision is that everyone is empowered to engage with all forms of media confidently and critically.