Contributed by Joey Kenneth
What is prebunking?
Prebunking (also called pre-emptive debunking) is a communication strategy that helps people recognise and resist misinformation before it spreads widely. It’s based on psychological inoculation theory, which compares building resistance to misinformation with how vaccines help the body build immunity. By exposing people to a small, harmless example of how misleading information works along with an explanation of why it’s misleading, prebunking helps people better recognise and reject deception in the future.
Why prebunking matters
Misinformation, false or misleading information that spreads easily online can harm public health, fuel division, and undermine trust in credible information sources. Traditional fact checking is important, but it often happens after the false information has already spread and taken hold. Prebunking aims to prevent misinformation from gaining traction in the first place by building people’s critical thinking skills and awareness.
How prebunking works
Effective prebunking messages usually include three key elements:
- Forewarning
Letting people know they might encounter misleading or manipulative information. - Weakened example (microdose)
Providing a small, recognisable example of a misinformation tactic before someone encounters it in the real world. - Explanation and refutation
Explaining why the tactic is misleading and how it works, so people can spot similar tactics on their own.
Common misinformation tactics prebunking addresses
Prebunking focuses on the methods of deception rather than specific false claims.
Some common tactics include:
- Emotional manipulation: using strong feelings to bypass critical thinking
- False choices: presenting two extremes when more options exist
- Scapegoating: blaming particular groups without evidence
- Impersonation: pretending to be a credible source
- Logical fallacies: flawed reasoning presented as fact
Real-world examples and formats
Prebunking can be delivered in various accessible ways:
- Interactive games
Games like Bad News and GoViral! let players experience how misinformation is created in a safe environment. These games have been shown to improve people’s ability to spot misleading tactics across different cultures and age groups. - Short videos
Brief animated videos (e.g. ~90 seconds) explaining common tactics have been shown to increase awareness and reduce susceptibility to misinformation in large participant samples. - Infographics and guides
Visual resources like UNESCO’s #ThinkBeforeSharing complements other prebunking tools by reinforcing key ideas about spotting misinformation.
Evidence of effectiveness
Research shows that prebunking can:
- Improve people’s ability to distinguish between reliable and unreliable information, without making them overly sceptical of all content.
- Work across cultures and languages, reducing perceived reliability of manipulative content even when participants speak different languages.
- Boost confidence and reduce willingness to share misinformation, including in health-related contexts like vaccine misinformation.
- Be scaled through widely accessible formats, like short videos or social media campaigns, potentially reaching millions of users.
Overall, evidence suggests prebunking is a promising complement to traditional fact checking and media literacy efforts.
Limitations and considerations
While prebunking has many advantages, it is most effective when delivered before misinformation becomes widespread. It can be challenging to reach everyone, and its effects may be weaker for people who already strongly believe a false claim. Still, as part of a broader approach, prebunking offers a valuable way to support critical thinking and strengthen community information resilience.
Key takeaway
Prebunking equips communities with knowledge about how misinformation works, giving people the tools to spot it early and protect themselves and others from its harms. By combining prebunking with ongoing education, media literacy, and trusted communication, communities can become more resilient in a complex information environment.
References
Cook, J., Lewandowsky, S., & Ecker, U. K. H. (2017). Neutralizing misinformation through inoculation: Exposing misleading argumentation techniques reduces their influence. PLOS ONE, 12(5), e0175799.
Lewandowsky, S., van der Linden, S., & Cook, J. (2020). Beyond misinformation: Understanding and coping with the “post-truth” era. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 9(3), 353–369.
McGuire, W. J. (1964). Inducing resistance to persuasion: Some contemporary approaches. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 191–229). Academic Press.
van der Linden, S., Leiserowitz, A., Rosenthal, S., & Maibach, E. (2017). Inoculating the public against misinformation about climate change. Global Challenges, 1(2), 1600008.
van der Linden, S., Roozenbeek, J., & Compton, J. (2020). Inoculating against fake news about COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 566790.
van der Linden, S., Roozenbeek, J., Maertens, R., Basol, M., Kácha, O., Rathje, S., & Traberg, C. (2022). How can psychological science help counter the spread of fake news? The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 25, e25.
University of Cambridge. (2020). Inoculating the public against misinformation. Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab.
UNESCO. (2021). #ThinkBeforeSharing: A practical guide to countering misinformation. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
UNHCR. (2023). Prebunking. Information Integrity Toolkit. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Roozenbeek, J., & van der Linden, S. (2019). The fake news game: Actively inoculating against the risk of misinformation. Journal of Risk Research, 22(5), 570–580.
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