A Gamified Strategy to Resist Migration Disinformation in Adolescents

ABSTRACT

Migration‐related disinformation has become increasingly prominent in online environments, particularly in the context of war‐related migration and polarized public discourse. Adolescents may be especially vulnerable to manipulative online narratives due to ongoing cognitive and social development. This study examined whether the gamified inoculation intervention Bad News could strengthen adolescents' resistance to migration‐related disinformation. A quasi‐experimental pre–post design was conducted among Czech secondary school students aged 16–18 ( N  = 235). Participants evaluated simulated social media posts before and after gameplay using measures of perceived credibility and confidence. Truth discernment was defined as the difference between credibility ratings of accurate and misleading content. Results showed reduced perceived credibility of disinformation, increased confidence in evaluation, and improved truth discernment following gameplay. Overall belief remained unchanged, suggesting improved discrimination rather than generalized scepticism. The findings support the educational potential of gamified inoculation approaches for strengthening adolescents' resilience to migration‐related disinformation.