New paper on AI-assisted inoculation against election msinfo in @royalsociety.org! In a large sample of U.S. voters we find; ✅ AI-generated prebunks significantly reduce belief in election rumors (e.g. voter fraud), esp among Reps + boosted confidence in national elections. shorturl.at/VKFl7

I invite Meta employees—and customers—to fight this decision by Zuckerberg to supercharge Meta’s “Misinformation-maxxing” initiative. Misinformation and conspiracy theories are the enemy of human prosperity. @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @docsforclimate.bsky.social @psr.org

Ed Maibach@maibached.bsky.social · 6d ago

Meta will train its AI on far-right

Can't say I'm surprised at these (nonetheless important) findings from @profsanderlinden.bsky.social & colleagues. From The #NewClimateWar:

Sander van der Linden@profsanderlinden.bsky.social · last wk.

New paper @pnas.org "Inoculation Against Climate Doom"-we show in a social media simulator that cognitive inoculation improves discernment of doom stories across the political aisle & shifts behavior, incl less sharing of doom. Doom also predicts less climate action. 👉 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

New paper @pnas.org "Inoculation Against Climate Doom"-we show in a social media simulator that cognitive inoculation improves discernment of doom stories across the political aisle & shifts behavior, incl less sharing of doom. Doom also predicts less climate action. 👉 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Do you research misinformation? @bojanaveckalov.bsky.social @sandrajgeiger.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @lewan.uk, Matthew Hornsey and I have a new piece out in NHB on lessons learned from climate psychology that can catalyze misinformation research. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Insights from climate psychology for misinformation research

Nature Human Behaviour - Climate change and misinformation are interconnected global crises shaped by tensions between individual, collective and vested interests. Drawing on climate psychology, we...

nature.com

Insights from climate psychology for misinformation research

Insights from climate psychology for misinformation research

Nature Human Behaviour, Published online: 20 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41562-026-02530-4Climate change and misinformation are interconnected global crises shaped by tensions between individual, collective and vested interests. Drawing on climate psychology, we distil six insights for misinformation research to strengthen policy relevance, systems thinking and resilience to attacks.

dlvr.it

"Contemporary society faces complex and interconnected global crises. Prominent among them are the climate crisis driven by anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions and an epistemic crisis driven by rising misinformation in societal discourse." Yep. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Insights from climate psychology for misinformation research - Nature Human Behaviour

Climate change and misinformation are interconnected global crises shaped by tensions between individual, collective and vested interests. Drawing on climate psychology, we distil six insights for mis...

nature.com

People prefer to use “sycophantic” AI systems that reinforce their pre-existing beliefs. In a new paper (n=7,227), we found that people enjoyed interacting with sycophantic AI chatbots more than interacting with neutral chatbots or “disagreeable” chatbots that challenged their beliefs.

In 2011, South Korea banned children < 16 from playing games online between midnight & 6am out of concern for internet addiction. Subsequent studies showed that such curfew policies had absolutely no effect. The law was repealed in 2022. Food for thought www.jahonline.org/article/S105...

So @profsanderlinden.bsky.social wrote about the concept of "pre bunking" in his book FOOLPROOF, and this is exactly the right time to do it. Not just media. Us mortals, too. Grab a copy and at least scan it to get the gist. Then do it.

Enjoyed this interview in the Economic Times of India Misinformation is shaping world, from climate change to wars: Cambridge University Professor Sander van der Linden Read more at: economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/et-evok...

Misinformation is shaping world, from climate change to wars: Cambridge University Professor Sander van der Linden

Professor Sander van der Linden studies how people fall for misinformation and manipulation. Digital technology accelerates the spread of false information, exploiting human cognitive biases. Indust...

economictimes.indiatimes.com

Pleased to announce I've been appointed to the new Dept. of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSIT) College of Experts. This is a new network of leading specialists who will be giving DSIT fast & flexible access to independent scientific expertise. www.sdmlab.psychol.cam.ac.uk/news/prof-va...

1️⃣ 🧵 Our written evidence “Misinformation about childhood vaccinations: evidence & interventions” for UK House of Lords Childhood Vaccinations Committee is now public—led by Sander van der Linden with Kai Ruggeri, @drg.bsky.social, Heidi Larson, Thom & Jon Roozenbeek and me 1/10

How to find hope in a polycrisis - @ellarhodespsych.bsky.social hears from @alekscichocka.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @swedishprotests.bsky.social @timwildschut.bsky.social and others. www.bps.org.uk/psychologist...

How to find hope in a polycrisis | BPS

We’re living in a time of multiple, distinct yet overlapping crises and threats. Our journalist, Ella Rhodes, asks if psychology can help us to find a way to understand our strange new world and foste...

bps.org.uk

📢In a new Comment for our 5-year Anniversary series, @profsanderlinden.bsky.social and @yarakyrychenko.bsky.social discuss the dangers and opportunities of social technology. www.nature.com/articles/s43... #cssky 🔓 rdcu.be/fq22F

“Human cognition is not just about competence, it is also about warmth” @profsanderlinden.bsky.social at #SMDM

New Nature paper with the brilliant @yarakyrychenko.bsky.social! Digital technologies are shaping the public sphere but were not designed as democratic infrastructure. We propose aligning social technologies with democratic principles of inclusivity, fairness, & representativeness. rdcu.be/fqnyw

New data on the efficacy of the Australia social media ban are worse than I thought. A new study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) reports that over 85% of teens under 16 are still using social media. The 'friction' introduced by the ban seems very minimal. www.bmj.com/content/393/...

We regret that our event on Extreme Heat: Improving governance and strengthening action around the world has been cancelled due to the red extreme heat warning issued by the UK Met Office. Our apologies to everyone who was planning to attend the event.

‘The future of children in a digital world, and particularly their chance to flourish in it, remains in doubt…’ Ella Rhodes reports on the UK ‘social media ban’, with comment from @sonialivingstone.bsky.social @orbenamy.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social & more. www.bps.org.uk/psychologist...

Big news on the UK social media ban today: here’s my official response 👇

University of Cambridge@cam.ac.uk · 2mo ago

The UK government has announced plans to introduce a social media ban for under-16s by spring 2027. @profsanderlinden.bsky.social reacts to today's news, and measures it against the evidence we already have about social media restrictions.

The UK government has announced plans to introduce a social media ban for under-16s by spring 2027. @profsanderlinden.bsky.social reacts to today's news, and measures it against the evidence we already have about social media restrictions.

Dear Canada, I know it feels like we must take drastic action to protect our children from social media. I get the intuitive appeal of a ban. But evidence supporting move ain't great. Complex problems require, alas, a nuanced policy. www.nature.com/articles/s44... @profsanderlinden.bsky.social

🧵 Thread: Does the internet threaten democracy? I argue that it does in my latest piece in Science: doi.org/10.1126/scie... Here's the short version. 1/9 1/10

The architecture of the internet creates risks for democracy

Will democracy survive the internet? Do we need to choose between Facebook’s surveillance capitalism or democracy? Layered lines of evidence can inform questions like these. When considered together, the evidence gives rise to a concerning picture, as summarized in a recent report for the European Commission that I co-led.

doi.org

Very good and nuanced piece from our student newspaper on my position on the proposed social media ban for teens www.varsity.co.uk/news/31753

New research shows the Trump Administration's cynical efforts to use false "scientific uncertainty" messages to undermine public confidence in vaccines--and scientific evidence more generally--is highly effective. Sadly, lies kill. @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @docsforclimate.bsky.social

CDC communication undermines trust in vaccines

Uncertainty-based framing raises doubt, lowers vaccination intentions, and boosts science denial

science.org

In my work, I often come across the "individual" vs "system" level change debate. Here we introduce the *A-frame*. We argue that social change arises from individuals’ Agency within their many roles in societal systems, & that this agency should be leveraged. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Leveraging agency for climate change mitigation - Nature Climate Change

Climate debates often frame individual behaviour and systems change as distinct pathways to action. We suggest that social change arises from individuals’ agency within their roles in societal systems...

nature.com

1/ The sustainability transition doesn’t just advance from the top down and the bottom up – change also happens in the middle, and that’s where most of us can make a real difference Quick thread on a great new paper showing how *everyone* has an influential role to play 🧵

🚨Fed up with the "individual vs. system change" debate?🚨 We've got you covered. 🙌 In our new paper in Nature Climate Change, we endeavour to move beyond that binary by introducing the agency frame (a-frame), a practical lens for identifying and intervening on high-impact climate behaviours. (1/n)