GP essay question guide
Should individuals be responsible for checking what they read online?
The question is about sharing a duty. A strong answer gives individuals a real part, shows why they cannot carry it alone, and names what platforms and governments must do.
Unpack this question first: 'Responsible' asks whose duty it is, so compare individuals with platforms and governments. 'Checking' means more than reading carefully: finding sources and testing claims. Lesson: Reading an essay question: terms and scope
Use this question in writing - Sign in, check the question, then write your response.
Topics: Society and Culture, Politics and Governance, Science and Technology
Three argument directions
Individuals spread falsehoods
Simple checks before sharing would stop many false stories.
Qualification: Few people have the time or skill to check everything.
Platforms decide what spreads
Recommendation systems reward content that provokes, true or false.
Qualification: Platforms removing content raises its own free-speech concerns.
Education builds the skill
Teaching media literacy in school makes careful reading a habit.
Qualification: Skills take years to build, while fakes improve quickly.
A model paragraph
Our own paragraph for this question. Copy its moves, not its words.
Individuals do have a responsibility to check what they read online, but it cannot be theirs alone, because the systems that spread falsehoods are built by others. A reader who shares a dramatic post without checking it helps a lie spread, and simple habits, such as looking for the original source or searching whether a claim has been debunked, would stop much of this. Yet few people have the time or skill to check everything, and a well-made deepfake can fool careful viewers. Platforms decide what spreads fastest, and they profit from content that provokes. Teaching media and AI literacy in schools, as Singapore has begun to do, strengthens the individual's part, but platforms and governments must also slow the spread of falsehoods at the source.
How it is built
- Stand: yes, but shared.
- Reasons: easy checks for; limited time, deepfakes and platform design against.
- Judgement: education for individuals plus duties for platforms.
Six examples to compare
Digital Lies: Misinformation's Modern Threat
Digital platforms fuel misinformation, eroding public trust and harming democracy. This reflects modern 'fake news' challenges and concepts like echo chambers.
Possible essay use
QAnon began in October 2017 with anonymous posts on 4chan.
Limitation
QAnon was one of several causes of 6 January, alongside false claims of a stolen election and political mobilisation; it is unfair to say it alone 'led to' the attack.
Case or source date: 2021-01-06
Source: Bellingcat
Deepfakes: AI's Deception Challenge
AI-driven deepfakes and synthetic media create new misinformation threats, challenging trust in what people see and hear, especially in wartime and elections.
Possible essay use
On 16 March 2022 a deepfake of President Zelensky telling troops to surrender was placed on the hacked Ukraine 24 channel's website and ticker.
Limitation
This fake failed, so the case shows the danger and also the defences; better-made deepfakes since then may be harder to spot.
Case or source date: 2022-03-16
Source: NPR
Singapore Adds AI and Deepfake Literacy to School Learning
Students will learn not just how to use AI, but how to check AI-generated information and identify deepfakes.
Possible essay use
Singapore's Ministry of Education announced defined AI-literacy milestones, an updated Code for Fun programme for all schools from 2027, and Cyber Wellness lessons on checking generative-AI information and identifying deepfakes.
Limitation
curriculum changes do not guarantee that students will apply critical thinking outside school or keep pace with rapidly changing tools
Case or source date: 2026-03-03
Source: Ministry of Education Singapore
POFMA: Truth Law or Speech Chill?
Singapore's POFMA aims to stop online lies. But critics fear it limits free speech and causes self-censorship.
Possible essay use
POFMA, in force from 2 October 2019, lets ministers order correction notices or takedowns of false statements of fact, subject to appeal to the courts.
Limitation
Whether POFMA chills legitimate speech is hard to measure; critics point to its frequent use against opposition figures, which this vaccine example does not show.
Case or source date: 2019-10-02
Source: Singapore Statutes Online
Algorithms: Shaping News, Dividing Views
Algorithmic bias in media feeds shapes what news users see. This often narrows perspectives, creating filter bubbles and risking societal division.
Possible essay use
A September 2021 NYU Stern report concluded that major platforms are not the original or main cause of US polarisation but intensify it.
Limitation
Both studies are about the United States, and the 2023 experiments ran for only three months around one election, so they cannot rule out slower or wider effects elsewhere.
Case or source date: 2021-09-13
Singapore Opens a Fast-Relief Channel for Online Harms
The Online Safety Commission gives victims of harassment, doxxing, stalking, and image abuse a direct route to seek help.
Possible essay use
Singapore's Online Safety Commission began operating on 29 June 2026 and can direct harmful content to be disabled or accounts to be restricted; its first phase covers five harms including harassment, doxxing, and stalking.
Limitation
the first phase covers only five categories, and formal powers cannot prevent every harm or replace education and responsible platform design
Case or source date: 2026-06-29
Source: Ministry of Digital Development and Information Singapore