Phnom Penh: Undersecretary of State and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Information, Mr. Tep Asnarith, clearly emphasized that strengthening knowledge and education to combat fake news for young people to understand fake news is essential, comparable to “vaccinating against harm” for them and the entire national society.
During a meeting via ZOOM with leaders of the 25 capital and provincial information departments on the afternoon of May 27, 2026, Mr. Tep Asnarith said that fake news is no different from a bad virus that is intended to pollute the social environment, create chaos, distort the truth, and can destroy the honor and dignity of individuals or institutions. Young people, who are active users of social media, are vulnerable to being victims and becoming tools for the spread of false information if they do not have the ability and resilience to protect themselves and face risks in the digital age. He stated that among the approximately 17 million Cambodian people, approximately 59 percent of Facebook users are young people. More than 30 percent of Gen Z, aged between 14 and 29, use TikTok.
In this regard, he urged state media and information departments in all capitals and provinces to increase the production of information, educational and entertainment content to improve information and media literacy, and to encourage collaboration with journalists, young people with experience in the media, and MMO groups to disseminate information on social media to provide more clear knowledge on how to protect themselves from false information created with the aim of causing unrest in the national society.
