Over half of America's adults get their news from social media

It's not just teens getting news and advice from social media and other online platforms. Adults are doing it too -- and that may not be for the best.

According to a recent Pew Research analysis, over 50 percent of American adults say they get at least some of their news from social media apps. This includes everything from Reddit to X (Formerly Twitter) to TikTok and more.

Presumably, getting news from social media is easy. You don't even have to read an entire article or watch a news broadcast to get the information you are curious about. It's often fed right to you -- that's why they call it a "news feed."

But that presents a problem that may be obvious to some, but not so much to others. Not everything you see on the internet is accurate or real -- and it has become even harder than before to determine what's real and what isn't online.

Take the new verification system on apps like X (Formerly Twitter) and Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook. It used to be that you could trust most verified accounts to provide information that was, at least somewhat, accurate. That isn't the case anymore.

Now anyone who pays for a blue verification badge can present something as "news" even when it's fake. Even I have fallen for these tricks more than usual over the past year. If you don't take the time to vet the sources and information you see, it's very easy to believe -- and spread -- misinformation and disinformation online.

So be careful what you consume and share. If it seems too convenient, too good to be true, or major news outlets (like national newspapers and renowned media brands) aren't talking about it, chances are it's not real news and shouldn't be trusted.