'It infuriates me': examining young adults' reactions to and recommendations to fight misinformation about COVID-19.

Social media platforms that are full of misinformation and conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic can have an adverse impact on young adults. Young adults are going through critical changes in their lives due to the pandemic including educational challenges, uncertainties in employment, changes in routines, and loss of security and safety. Yet another challenge during this time is the uncertainty and the exposure to massive amount of misinformation. The pandemic has had a global impact on people of all ages, including young adults, who are the primary interest for the current study. We conducted 30 in-depth interviews with young adults to understand their misperceptions about COVID-19, how young adults are coping with the COVID-19 'infodemic', and young adults' recommendations for combatting this challenge. Findings show majority of participants are stressed about the abundance of misinformation available about the pandemic. Additionally, young adults provide important ways to combat misinformation about COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]