Ever since Moscow launched the attack on Ukraine, information and misinformation about the war have been spread on social media. But how have publications on social media influenced the perception created by young people or other age groups about the war?

At a time when the whole world is focused on Russia’s war against Ukraine, a war of a different kind is taking place on people’s phones.

“I saw a lot of false information and a lot of flagrant lies about the conflict or its context,” said Ryan Locher, an American University student.

In the information war TikTok has become a battlefield. The platform quite popular among young people and known for dance videos has already become and a source of information on the war in Ukraine.

With any new and unverified content appearing on TikTok within seconds, analysts worry that the platform could provide false information to its estimated one billion users worldwide.

“Videos can be used to enlighten people on what is really happening on the ground, they can be used to verify or increase support for example about findings from the intelligence community. But they can also be taken out of context and used to deceive or misinform. “We are facing this happening during this conflict,” said Jessica Brandt of the Brookings Institution.

Students at the American University in Washington tell VOA they have uncovered misinformation about the war.

Locher creates content for TikTok and has more than 18,000 followers on his account.

“Many of these theories that are spreading about the Donbas war, or that Ukraine is full of neo-Nazis, many of them come from people whose approach is completely anti-American. “So they automatically use the information they get from sites that are pro-Russian, pro-Iranian, pro-Chinese, etc.,” he said.

Matthew Lee, a student at American University has no TikTok account. He worries about Beijing’s influence on the Chinese-owned application.

“We see a lot of things being said on Chinese social media with nationalist content, a lot of pro-Russian stuff, and because they control everything, it’s hard to say if they are ordinary people or paid by the Chinese government to say things.” says Lee.

Albina Tokakova, a student at the American University in Russia, believes that both Moscow and Kiev are using TikTok and social media to promote their views on the conflict, framing it as either a war on subjugation or a war on which Russia is seen as the savior.

“Every country is trying to show its point of view and put itself in the position of the one who is losing something or the one who is doing the right thing,” says Tokakova.

To combat disinformation on social media, the Biden administration has contacted some of the most influential on TikTok, with the aim of discussing what is happening on the ground in Ukraine as well as the intentions of US policy toward Kiev and Moscow.

Analysts say the administration hopes the message will reach Russian families, where uncensored information does not go.

“What the White House is doing to compete effectively in the field of information was to use real information, exposing deaths among Russian troops. For example, this is another way the administration is using real information to expose weaknesses. Says Jessica Brandt of the Brookings Institution.

The TikTok user base is made up of young people, turning it into a powerful tool for shaping views and opinions. Like any social media platform, it can be used to inform or deceive.