Many Taiwanese teenagers no longer watch television after school; instead, social media dominates their daily lives. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Rednote are deeply woven into teenagers’ routines, with usage far outpacing that of older age groups. Over half of Taiwanese teenagers use TikTok—compared to just a third of those in their 20s. 

With more time spent on these platforms, they’re increasingly exposed to content that subtly shapes their views—often without realizing it. Yet, many feel unprepared to navigate this flood of information. The sheer volume of content complicates efforts to verify its origins or authenticity.

This spring, Doublethink Lab released a timely report revealing that TikTok is subtly pushing political content and influencing how teens perceive the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The report showed that TikTok is exposing young users to a broader range of risks than before—including disinformation, scams, and harmful material. 

Despite the passing of the Anti-Infiltration Act in 2019, which requires platforms to remove fabricated or misleading content, disinformation is still rife. While banning TikTok may appear to be a straightforward solution, it contradicts Taiwan’s democratic values. As a result, most young people support safer platforms, not bans.

To build democratic resilience and support youth well-being, Taiwan must strengthen social media literacy through increased funding and well-developed, sustained policies that are put into practice across all regions of Taiwan. This means expanding existing initiatives, empowering NGOs and experts already working in this space, and ensuring that educators receive the training they need to guide students through today’s digital risks.

This is a challenge that demands attention from policymakers, families, and schools alike to equip teens with vital digital literacy skills.

The Digital Threat Facing Taiwan’s Youth

Public concern about disinformation is rising, alongside a lack of education in identifying false content. According to a National Taiwan University (國立台灣大學) study, exposure to disinformation rose from 82 percent in 2023 to 95 percent in 2024. A study by Google found that over 80 percent of Taiwanese have encountered false information online, yet fewer than 10 percent have taken media literacy courses. In today’s digital landscape, disinformation is everywhere. In Taiwan, there is also a region-specific concern: content and narratives originating from China.

Analysts have increasingly pointed to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP, 中國共產黨) use of sharp power tactics to reach young Taiwanese, including allegations of local influencers being paid to promote pro-Beijing messages. Concerns have evolved from the challenge of overt propaganda towards discussion of how everyday content can gradually normalize pro-China narratives.

This concern is echoed by many Taiwanese in their mid-20s and 30s. In preliminary research that I conducted in 2025 with Taiwanese aged 13–33, over 86 percent of respondents aged 23–33 indicated that today’s teenagers are more exposed to Chinese social media content than before—and many worry this increases the risk of uncritical acceptance of PRC narratives. [1]

A clear generational divide also exists in the content they encounter: 26 percent of teenagers in the survey reported regularly seeing China-related social media content, compared to just 13 percent of those aged 20–33. Teenagers more often encountered neutral or favorable portrayals of the PRC—such as videos of Chinese urban life, economic success, or cultural trends.

Much social media content is light-hearted, and not all teen exposure is due to coordinated manipulation. However, without tools to critically assess how and why certain content appears, teenagers may internalize curated portrayals, mistaking them for reality and missing the strategic intent behind them.

While most Taiwanese teenagers currently hold negative views of the PRC government, the effects of sustained exposure to positive or uncritical portrayals remain uncertain. Several teenage participants in the recent survey by Doublethink Lab acknowledged that their views had shifted somewhat positively through repeated exposure to TikTok videos that framed Chinese daily life in appealing ways. Developing a positive perspective of the PRC is not inherently problematic. However, this highlights the crucial need to provide students with targeted media literacy education so they can recognize disinformation when they do encounter it, and understand the broader political dynamics of cross-Strait relations shaping it.

From Anxiety to Apathy: The Emotional Strain of Disinformation on Teenagers

Taiwanese teenagers are not only highly exposed to disinformation but also more susceptible to its emotional effects. According to Doublethink Lab, many are aware that misleading content is widespread—not just among content from China, but across the entire internet. While they recognize that some information cannot be trusted, this awareness often leaves them feeling overwhelmed and unsure about what to believe. Findings from the Taiwan FactCheck Center’s  (TFC) “2022 Annual Fake News Survey” echo these sentiments, with teenagers frequently describing feelings of anxiety, irritation, and helplessness when navigating misinformation online. Without clear guidance, many teens struggle to respond effectively to disinformation and need more support. 

As a result of these challenges, some teenagers have disengaged and doubt most of what they see online. While this suggests a degree of skepticism, it can mask a deeper sense of helplessness. Furthermore, this apathy risks leaving young people increasingly vulnerable over time. 

Indeed, experts warn that Taiwanese teenagers may underestimate the risks posed by Beijing’s influence campaigns and may not fully understand the complexities and dangers of digital influence operations. Without firsthand experience of pivotal events like the 2014 Sunflower Movement (太陽花學運), older generations worry that teens lack the historical context and political motivation needed to critically resist such campaigns. This growing challenge is compounded by the fact that many teachers themselves feel unequipped to address these political conversations and digital literacy needs.

The Struggle to Equip Teachers for Today’s Digital Landscape

Even if there is broad support for expanding social media literacy, many teachers feel unprepared to teach it. This presents a key challenge: how can teachers effectively guide students through the complexities of social media when they themselves lack confidence in navigating it?

One shortcoming in current media literacy education is that those who do teach media literacy focus mainly on analyzing traditional news sources. Media literacy has been part of Taiwan’s curriculum since 2002 (following a white paper issued by the Ministry of Education [教育部]), but coverage of media literacy in Taiwan’s education systems has mainly been in the form of brief civics classes related to print journalism. 

Taiwan has made important strides in integrating media literacy into education. The Ministry of Education has introduced nationwide initiatives—updated teaching materials, educator training, public outreach, and over 500 local events—to strengthen digital awareness. Looking ahead, Taiwan’s 2029 curriculum reform aims to build students’ digital skills and help schools adapt to emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence (AI). However, many teachers say they have yet to see these policies translate into meaningful classroom changes or provide enough guidance on addressing the fast-moving and immersive nature of social media.      

To meet the demands of today’s digital environment, teachers need access to well-developed, up-to-date training programs and materials created by specialists in media and digital literacy. These programs should be designed for integration into existing curricula and regularly updated to reflect evolving online risks. Teachers would also benefit from having expert knowledge and advice that they can easily access when new concerns arise. Empowering educators in this way requires sustained government support and a clear strategy for long-term implementation.

Scaling Up Existing Social Media Literacy Across Taiwan

Taiwan’s civil society leads on media literacy, with NGOs like Taiwan Information Environment Research Center (IORG), Doublethink Lab, and the TFC offering guides, educational outreach, and digital literacy tools. IORG’s school and community outreach programs, Doublethink Lab’s disinformation training website, and TFC’s three-year media literacy initiative, supported by Google, all exemplify creative efforts by experts to build public resilience against disinformation.     

The Taiwan FactCheck Center announced the launch of the “Taiwan Media Literacy Education Initiatives” project in 2021

Image: The Taiwan FactCheck Center announced the launch of the “Taiwan Media Literacy Education Initiatives” project in 2021. (Image Source: Taiwan FactCheck Center)

Yet, without broader support, their reach remains uneven across Taiwan. The nation now requires sustained public investment not only to embed these tools and strategies into the national curriculum, but to empower the civil society organizations behind them. With greater funding, these groups can scale their efforts, deliver training to more schools and teachers, and share their expertise more widely ensuring that both urban and rural communities benefit from consistent, high-quality support. Beyond education reform, the government must also hold platforms accountable through meaningful regulation, transparency standards and user protection, and limiting exposure to harmful content.

Taiwan’s current efforts are promising, and in the face of complex international political challenges, it has built an impressive wealth of experience and expertise in strengthening digital resilience. But these efforts must be expanded further. Taiwan’s long-term success in resisting disinformation will depend on its ability to integrate social media literacy widely, empower civil society further, and ensure safe digital environments for its citizens.

This challenge isn’t unique to Taiwan—it’s part of a global reckoning with the speed and scale of digital misinformation. As Lai Ting-Ming (賴鼎銘), chair of TFC, put it: “Do not treat media literacy as an activity, but as a movement…It must start with oneself, and the most important factor is whether you put your heart into it.”     

The main point: To build democratic resilience and support youth well-being, Taiwan must strengthen social media literacy through increased funding and sustained, practical policies. This means expanding existing initiatives, empowering NGOs and experts already working in this space, and ensuring that educators receive the training they need to guide students through today’s digital risks—confidently and critically.

[1] The author conducted an online survey in Mandarin in February 2025 with 96 Taiwanese respondents aged 13-33 years old. Participants were recruited via universities and schools across various regions of Taiwan, from existing educational networks with the sponsoring think tank, Taiwan NextGen Foundation, and distributed by teachers and lecturers. The surveys explored young peoples’ social media usage and its influence on their perceptions of the PRC. The findings cited in this article are based on the responses of two surveys: one version for respondents between the ages of 13-22 and another version for those aged 23-33. 

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