The Impact of Fake News Spread on Social Media on the Children in Indonesia During Covid-19

Misinformation around Covid-19 poses a public health problem for Indonesia and globally. It has a negative impact on children and the government’s ability to reduce disease and control the causes of death from Covid-19. Both those that have a direct impact on society and children as well as those who injure themselves due to false beliefs about the virus (Covid-19), prevention, vaccines, and treatment. This study uses a qualitative-exploratory method with a phenomenological approach to case studies of hoaxes and disinformation, the online media of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia, which has a detrimental impact on children’s growth and development when consuming wrong information. Data analysis uses Nvivo 12 Pro, as a qualitative research tool in exploring existing research data. The results show that the quality of media literacy and the effectiveness of the Indonesian government’s policies are one of the efforts to mitigate the infodemic on the level of trust in information from online media and social media, which are in harmony in decreasing trust in myths and false information related to Covid-19. Trust in news from online media, interpersonal communication, and uncontrolled social media makes trust in Covid-19 myths and information increasing. This, in turn, contributes to a less critical practice of social media posting, that exacerbates the infodemic in society. Media literacy training and the accuracy of government policies contribute to the improvement of critical social media posting practices, which play a role in mitigating the infodemic in Indonesia.