Within hours of the US-Israel strikes on Iran breaking news, X (Twitter) was flooded with millions of views of completely false content. Old footage repackaged as new. Video game clips passed off as real combat.
AI-generated images presented as evidence. Attacks attributed to entirely wrong countries.
Almost ALL of the most viral posts came from blue-checkmark accounts.
This is one of the most AMAZING videos I have ever seen.
— The Nikki V. (@TheUnHeard_One) February 28, 2026
It doesn’t even look real!
pic.twitter.com/X5hnHMYqWv
Here’s what was actually circulating:
1. A video claiming to show ballistic missiles over Dubai, it was actually footage of Iranian missiles fired at Tel Aviv from October 2024. Viewed 4.4 million times.
JUST IN🇮🇷❌🇺🇸🇮🇱🔥 First Footage of Israeli Fighter jets downed by Iranian Air Defense systems in Iraqi-Airspaces. pic.twitter.com/My38snC9Ip
— RKM (@rkmtimes) February 28, 2026
2. A clip supposedly showing an Israeli fighter jet shot down by Iranian air defenses, shared by dozens of accounts.
3. The Iranian government-aligned Tehran Times posted what appears to be an AI-generated image claiming an American radar in Qatar was destroyed.
This image, uploaded by Tehran Times, is AI-generated.
— Tal Hagin (@talhagin) February 28, 2026
It's based on a Google Earth image from 2/10/2025 – One way to tell is that all the cars stayed in the exact same location. https://t.co/KkolH8egKQ pic.twitter.com/CNvkLB844s
There’s many more examples.
I need parents and teachers to please understand this, a blue tick does not mean trustworthy. On X, it means someone paid a monthly subscription fee. That’s it.
In fact, paying for that blue tick also means your posts get boosted to more people, so misinformation from these accounts spreads faster and further than ever before.
The reality is fact-checking and verifying information is genuinely difficult. This is not easy, not for journalists, not for researchers, not for adults scrolling on their phones after a long day.
If it’s that hard for us, imagine what it’s like for children and teenagers whose instinct is to trust what looks dramatic, what has millions of views, and what comes from an account with a shiny blue badge next to its name.
Some starting points to discuss with young people
1.Views and likes are not evidence. Viral does not mean verified.
2. A blue tick means someone paid. Nothing more.
3. Where did this footage actually come from?
4. Can I find this reported by a verified news source?
5. It’s okay to say “I don’t know” to your child if this is real or not and explore it together.
We talk about digital literacy like it’s a nice-to-have. Events like this are a reminder that it’s not. It’s essential.
Slow down. Question. Verify. Then share.
Full article : https://www.wired.com/story/x-is-drowning-in-disinformation-following-us-and-israels-attack-on-iran/
