Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532744
2 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 26 FEBRUARY 2025 2 KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt A Eurobarometer youth survey found that 47% of Maltese young people aged 16 to 30 get most of their news on polit- ical and social issues from social media platforms. And Facebook remains the most influential network. The survey asked 16- to 30-year-olds to state their main sources of information on political and social issues and which social media platform they primarily use for this purpose. Maltese young people were more likely to rely on social media platforms (47%) compared to the EU average of 42%. Conversely, they were less likely to get their news from television (32% com- pared to 39% in all 27 member states) or online newspapers (22% compared to 26% in the EU). Moreover, Maltese respondents were more likely to access political informa- tion from Facebook. While Instagram, followed by TikTok, dominates as the main source of political information among young people across the EU, in Malta, Facebook remains the preferred platform. In 11 member states, Instagram has emerged as the most popular social me- dia platform for obtaining information on political and social issues. It is the top choice for more than half of respondents in Italy (59%), Portugal (56%), Czechia (53%), Slovakia (53%), Greece (52%), and Spain (51%). In contrast, Malta reports the lowest share who get their news from Instagram was recorded in Malta (26%), Lithuania (27%), and Bulgaria (28%). TikTok is the most-selected social me- dia platform for political and social infor- mation in Austria (50%), Hungary (49%), Germany (48%), and Sweden (46%). In contrast, Malta (13%) and Czechia (20%) had the lowest shares. Despite its growing influence in much of Europe, TikTok has faced increasing scrutiny over data privacy and foreign in- fluence concerns. The platform, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has been accused of allowing the Chinese government access to user data – an allegation the company denies. Several countries, including the United States, Canada, and the European Union, have restricted its use on government devices over national security concerns. In some cases, officials have raised fears about TikTok's algorithm amplifying misin- formation or being used for state-backed influence campaigns, particularly during elections. Facebook remains the most-mentioned social media platform for accessing news in 11 member states, including Lithua- nia (56%), Hungary (55%), Croatia (54%), Cyprus (52%), Poland (51%), Bulgaria (48%), Latvia (43%), and Malta (39%). In contrast, less than one in five respond- ents use it for this purpose in Spain (11%), Germany (15%), and the Nether- lands (19%). The share of respondents using Elon Musk's X to gather political and social information is highest in Ireland (37%) and Spain (36%). In contrast, only about one in 10 respondents in Austria and Hungary (both 10%) and Slovakia (8%) use it. In Malta, 25% of young people rely on X for accessing news which has not only dismantled its fact checking role but has lately been used by its owner to pro- mote far right views and parties. YouTube was the most-selected plat- form for political and social information in only four countries: Ireland (46%), Ro- mania (42%), Finland (37%), and Belgium (34%). In Malta, 36% of young people cited YouTube as their main source of news. The survey also found that 59% of Mal- tese young people and 44% of all EU re- spondents reported being frequently ex- posed to disinformation on social media. Over the past decade, social media plat- forms, including TikTok, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube, have been at the centre of concerns over Rus- sian disinformation and the spread of far-right narratives. Extremist groups have used these platforms to spread false or misleading claims on immigration, cli- mate policies, and European governance. The European Union has repeated- ly warned about Russian state-backed propaganda efforts targeting European audiences, particularly since the invasion of Ukraine. Meta (Facebook's parent company) and X have been accused of failing to curb the spread of misleading content, including pro-Kremlin narra- tives and conspiracy theories designed to sow division in Europe. SPEAKER of the House Anglu Farrugia ordered members of the Prime Minis- ter's security detail to leave parliament's Strangers' Gallery on Tuesday after- noon. However, the House only got to know of the action taken to evict the security personnel after Opposition MP Karol Aq- uilina raised the issue at the tail end of a ministerial declaration by Prime Minister Robert Abela. "The presence of the Prime Minister's se- curity detail, including police officers and members of the country's Security Service, in the Strangers' Gallery is an act of intimi- dation against MPs," Aquilina said. Earlier, the MP had noticed a commotion in the Strangers' Gallery and approached the Clerk of the House to understand what was happening. Aquilina told parliament the Clerk of the House acknowledged the presence of the Prime Minister's security personnel and confirmed that immediate steps were taken to ask them to leave. Following Aquilina's intervention, the Speaker said action had been taken but offered no explanation as to how the se- curity officers had been allowed into the Strangers' Gallery in the first place. There are no specific rules on the pres- ence of the police inside the chamber but there is an understanding that police of- ficers only enter the House when ordered to by the Speaker. The Speaker has abso- lute discretion to ask strangers following a parliamentary session to leave the House. According to the standing orders governing parliamentary procedure, "strangers may be present at the sittings of the House" but these must withdraw when called upon to do so by the Speaker. The standing orders make it clear that "no strangers are admissible as of right" at sittings of the House. People attending parliamentary session must "stay uncovered and be silent". They cannot express approval or disapproval. Social media trends: Facebook still leads for news Facebook, followed by YouTube, remains the most popular social media platform among young people aged 16 to 30, for obtaining information on political and social issues while Instagram and tik-tok lead in most EU countries JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Speaker orders Prime Minister's security to leave parliament's Strangers' Gallery Speaker Anglu Farrugia