Even before Meta dropped fact-checkers, it could be hard to know what to believe on social media. Parents can help kids sort through posts to learn what’s true.

To researchers who have studied moderation efforts and platforms, it’s the most recent move toward a more freewheeling and unbridled social media environment.

Meta - the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Threads​ - said it's ending its fact-checking program. What does that mean for social media?

The social networking giant will stop using third-party fact-checkers on Facebook, Threads and Instagram and instead rely on users to add notes to posts. It is likely to please President-elect Trump and his allies.

Zuckerberg said Meta would get rid of fact-checkers for Facebook, Instagram and Threads, starting in the United States, and replace it with a "community notes" system similar to t

Meta's announcement that it would scrap its fact-checking system was hailed by some, but it also prompted fears that it will allow more online hate.

That seems like a simpler time — especially when you consider Meta's decision to end a fact-checking program on social media apps Facebook, Instagram and Threads and what the ramifications might be for an industry built to bring clarity and to seek truth itself.