57% of people surveyed struggled to tell the difference between real news and fake news, according to a report released today.

The report, Deloitte Ireland's Digital Consumer Trends, found that 85% of those surveyed felt that fake news is a major problem, with 74% relying on multiple sources for news and information.

1,000 consumers were interviewed as part of the report which explores digital usage and attitudes towards technology.

The report also found that 42% of people in Ireland stopped using at least one social media platform, either permanently or temporarily, in the last year, with 21% doing so because it did not make them feel good about themselves and 5% doing so because they were being harassed or bullied.

"A huge number of respondents, over two-fifths, stopped using one or more social media platforms, either temporarily or permanently, in the last year. A perception of too much fake news and the content being too negative were among the top reasons given for this," said Daryl Hanberry, Head of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industry Group at Deloitte.

"There was also a significant amount who felt that it wasn't making them feel good about themselves along with a small, but still significant, amount who were experiencing bullying or harassment.

"With a massive 85% of all respondents believing that fake news is a major problem and 57% feeling that it is difficult to tell the difference between fake news and real news, the recent announcement that a new Media Commission is to be established and a national Online Safety Commissioner appointed, is very timely," said Mr Hanberry.

While 76% of respondents use social media and instant messaging apps on a daily basis across all devices, over two-fifths (42%) of respondents have stopped using at least one social media platform, either temporarily or permanently, over the last year.

Of those who did, the most common reason cited for doing so is boredom with content (41%), followed by too much fake news (30%); the content being too negative (30%); spending too much time on the platform (25%); privacy concerns (23%); because it didn't make them feel good about themselves (21%); and that they were being harassed or bullied on the platform(s) (5%).

85% of all respondents feel that fake news is a major problem today, with 74% relying on multiple sources for news and information, in order to get a full picture. 65% believe that news from traditional news providers is usually trustworthy.

16% believe that news from social media platforms is usually trustworthy; this increases to 28% among 18-24-year-olds. 57% of all respondents feel that it is difficult to tell what is fake news and what is real.

Smartphones are the most-used device on a daily basis, with 94% of respondents using them daily, followed by smart TVs (79%); smart watches (69%); laptops (65% down from 76% in 2020); desktop computers (60%); voice-assisted speakers (56%); tablets (53%); wireless headphones / earphones (50%); eReaders (32%); and games consoles (31%). 47% use standard mobile phones (non-smartphones) on a daily basis.

29% of all respondents look at their phone more than 50 times a day, down from 33% in 2020. This increases to 37% in the 18-24 age group. 12% of all respondents check their phone more than 100 times a day, with this increasing to 21% among 18-24s.

Men check their phones on average 49 times per day, while women do so on average 58 times per day, both decreasing year-on-year.

37% of all respondents check their phone within the first five minutes of waking up, increasing to 51% among 18-24-year-olds while 74% of all respondents do so within the first 30 minutes of waking up.

On a daily basis, using instant messaging apps (61%) and social networks (58%) are the most popular activities across all connected devices, followed by reading the news (53%); watching short videos, live posts or stories (40%); streaming or playing music (33%); watching live TV (32%); streaming films or TV series (30%); playing games (30%); and watching live streams (26%).