Fake news, AI misuse are top concerns for African youth – PSB Insights

A perceived surge in fake news and concerns about how artificial intelligence (AI) could be misused are key worries of young Africans, according to the recent African Youth Survey 2024, which included insights into how young people interact online.

Three out of four young Africans polled agreed that fake news is a serious problem in their community today, impacting safety, sovereignty, social accord and democracy. This view was strongest for young people in Ethiopia (86%), Rwanda (86%), Zambia (84%) and South Africa (83%).

Nearly half of young people surveyed said they are exposed to fake news on a weekly basis while 22% said they encounter it at least once a day, and 23% said they see fake news two to three times a week.

The stats also point to a tech-savvy generation, with only 8% saying they don't know how often they see fake news and 12% saying they never see it.

There is also worry that organizations are using fake news to advance their agendas, and over three in five young people are concerned about the impact of fake news and misinformation on upcoming elections – with particularly high numbers feeling this way in Nigeria, South Africa and Ethiopia.

Around 71% fear AI will make it easier to create and disseminate fake news, while 38% worry that AI may do more harm than good. However, 51% ultimately see AI as a positive force.

Related:Sub-Saharan Africa remains the least connected region globally

(Source: African Youth Survey 2024)

The survey was commissioned by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO), and conducted by PSB Insights. Researchers surveyed over 5,600 Africans aged between 18-24 in 16 African countries, with a 50/50 male-female split.

This is the third iteration of the survey since 2020, with six new countries included in the 2024 Survey: Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Tanzania and Namibia.

The ten other countries surveyed were Congo-Brazzaville, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia.

Top news sources

Television is still the top news source for 64% of young Africans, while 56% use Facebook to read news, 41% find news via WhatsApp, 32% source news on TikTok, and just 15% use X as a main news source.

Since the last survey in 2022, fewer young Africans are looking to radio (39%), newspapers (14%) or even long-trusted friends and family (30%) as news sources. 

(Source: African Youth Survey 2024)

The survey's authors commented on the remarkable transformation which is taking place in Africa, where the population is expected to almost double to 2.5 billion over the next 25 years.

Africa also has the world's youngest population, with 70% of those living in sub-Saharan Africa under 30 years of age. By 2050, African youth are expected to account for over a third of the world's youth and will make up 75% of all Africans under 35 years of age.

Related:AI-related searches surge in SA, Nigeria & Kenya – Google

Connectivity viewed as a fundamental human right 

While improving, access to the Internet remains a barrier, and four out of five young Africans polled believe Internet connectivity is a fundamental human right.

This sentiment, which returned to pre-COVID levels, is particularly strong in Nigeria (93%), Rwanda (92%), Côte d'Ivoire (91%) and Ghana (90%), where over nine out of ten youth endorse this view. 

However, only two-thirds of young Africans have regular, private, Internet access.

Nonetheless, access to digital connectivity is expanding in terms of reach and affordability, as the survey found, and the demand for faster growth is strong. 

Notably, 41% of respondents consider the price of mobile data in 2024 to be "fair," or even "a bargain," which is ten points higher than when the survey was last fielded two years ago.

The percentage of those who cannot afford digital connectivity at all has also fallen markedly, from 23% in the 2022 survey to only 10% this year.

Around 77% of respondents believe Internet access should be freely available in all major cities, while 76% say it should also be expanded to the remaining rural parts of their country.

Dissatisfaction with network operators

Despite the belief in the essential nature of Internet access, satisfaction with telecommunications and data services declined significantly: from 68% in 2020, to 56% in 2022, and now 55% in 2024.

While 67% of youth report having regular, private, Internet access, this has not improved from 68% in 2020, highlighting a clear need for improvements in service quality.

The highest satisfaction with telecommunications and data networks came from users in Rwanda (95%), Kenya (80%) and Côte d'Ivoire (76%), while the lowest mobile network satisfaction was in Cameroon (28%), Chad (33%) and Gabon (35%).

At the same time young Africans are getting online in greater numbers, obstacles such as corruption and well-paying jobs persist, clouding their perceptions of their future opportunities.

"It is fascinating to compare and contrast the results of this year's African Youth Survey with the recent soundings from powerful influencers and organizations across the world in prognosticating the future of the continent. Google, for example, has just declared the next ten years as Africa's 'digital decade', driven by developments in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital infrastructure," Ichikowitz Foundation Founder and Executive Chairman Ivor Ichikowitz said.

Ichikowitz added that while challenges such as fake news persist, and may even increase in nature and resonance, Google's statement about Africa's digital growth is accurate.

"Reduced costs, increased competition leading to greater ease of access to data is empowering Africa's next generation to harness their technological prowess, embrace STEM education (sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics), and rightfully take for themselves the opportunity to compete with their counterparts in the Global North for the jobs and careers of the globalizing future," he added.

Ichikowitz believes the survey provides vital metrics about how Africa is keeping pace with technology compared to the rest of the world, as well as flagging areas requiring direct address – contemporary areas like bridging the data divide and tackling the spread of fake news.

Time spent online

Smartphone penetration is growing in Africa, and the survey found that 68% of young people spend three hours a day or more on their smartphones.

Around 40% of young Africans said they spend "about the right amount of time online," while 29% believe they spend too much time looking at screens, and another 24% wish they spent more.

At the country level, 82% of Kenyan youth spend three or more hours on their phones per day; rising to 90% in Nigeria and 88% in Côte d'Ivoire. On the other hand, in Malawi, 25% of youth said they do not own a smartphone.

(Source: African Youth Survey 2024)

Another interesting finding was that most youth feel their time spent online each day either has no effect on their mental (45%) and physical health (49%) or improves their mental (32%) and physical health (28%).

Nonetheless, a sizable minority express concern that time spent online each day worsens both their mental (16%) and physical health (16%).

(Source: African Youth Survey 2024)

The findings differ from a survey in the United States, conducted by the Pew Research Group and published last year, that found that 55% of youth believed they spent "about the right amount of time online," but 36% feared they spent too much time, with access to the Internet being a critical component to this distinction.

Overwhelmingly, young Africans spend most of their time online using social media apps, 74% of respondents said.

Trailing behind these are multimedia apps (39%), productivity apps (32%), commuting apps (30%), photo apps (28%) and news and information apps (22%).

(Source: African Youth Survey 2024)

Mixed views about online dating

While only 11% of young Africans are using online dating apps, about 62% believe these apps allow them to meet people they would have never met before and 57% are open to meeting others through online dating.

However, 57% also feel these apps are disrupting social norms and traditional dating, and 49% agree their family would accept a partner met through an online dating app.

(Source: African Youth Survey 2024)

"Despite this concern, there appears to be a general openness towards these platforms, indicating a shift in societal attitudes driven by technology," the researchers said.