Social media now shows more content made or edited using artificial intelligence (AI). This can include images, videos, voices, or animations created by computers, not real people.
Algorithms often push this content because it looks new, surprising, or grabs attention. Sometimes it’s clearly labelled as AI, but at other times it can look very real, making it hard to tell what’s real and what’s not.
Because algorithms focus on views, likes, and shares, they may keep showing AI-generated content even if it feels weird, misleading, or low-quality.
Knowing that some posts are made by AI and understanding why they show up in your feed can help you think more critically about what you’re seeing and decide what deserves your attention.
"There's more AI. They're definitely trying to bring that into more stuff, like you can end up watching things and it's like I know that this isn't real. You know that's not real and it's a bit concerning that sometimes it takes you a minute to realise that that's not real…it's difficult to immediately pick up like if you were just scrolling through and you saw like a headline and then a picture of something which was clearly AI. If you weren't paying attention, it would be quite easy to just go ‘oh my god, that's a fact,’ and then just move past."
"It just looks a bit odd and a bit… I don't know. I can't really make sense of what the picture is, but it doesn't look especially harmful or dodgy. It just looks like something a bit unsettling."
"Italian brain rot has sort of gotten big on TikTok. Yeah, so just the kind of stupid videos which are really loud and sort of make no sense but there's this Italian one where they make AI generated videos and images.And those will just have random Italian nonsense spewing in the background but some of them in that Italian if you translate it, will be [saying racist and offensive things] so quite a lot of the time you can think oh it's harmless but then deeply rooted in the entertainment stuff is really serious themes and stuff."
Some social media content is now created by AI rather than real people. This can feel confusing, pointless, or unsettling. When AI content looks almost real, it can be hard to tell what’s true and what’s fake.
AI can be concerning when it spreads false information or creates images or videos of real people or events. If you don’t realise something is AI-made, it’s easy to believe it without checking. Some AI videos or images can also feel creepy or disturbing.
Some young people also feel uncomfortable about how AI is used. They might worry about fairness, artists losing work, or environmental impact. Other AI posts might seem harmless at first but can include offensive or hurtful messages.
• Why do you think social media platforms show AI-made videos or images?
• How could it be a problem if people can’t tell whether something is real or AI-generated?
• Why do you think social media platforms show AI-made videos or images?
• How could it be a problem if people can’t tell whether something is real or AI-generated?
• If something looks unreal, assume it might be AI. For big claims, check a trusted source outside the app (official news sites, NHS pages, school resources).
• Use ‘Why am I seeing this?’ tools: Some platforms let you see why it was recommended. Use that to decide if you want to Show less or block.
• If AI content feels creepy or confusing, hit Not interested quickly.
