We know Gen Z gets its news from TikTok and influencers — and many of them can’t clearly differentiate between fact, opinion, and conspiracy. But what does that mean in the wake of political violence?

When news broke that conservative activist Charlie Kirk had been assassinated, many adults turned to traditional outlets for updates: cable news, online newspapers, or radio bulletins. But for teenagers, the story often arrived first through TikTok clips, Instagram memes, or snippets passed around in Discord chats. Even worse, it was sometimes accompanied by the graphic video of the shooting, something that most reputable “grown-up” news outlets would have never shown.

That distinction matters. Because for today’s teens, news doesn’t just appear; it’s served up by an algorithm, packaged by

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