For many of us, social media is a convenient way to keep in touch with family, friends and colleagues. But sharing false information on platforms like Facebook during a global pandemic can have life or death consequences.

Arecent surveyof more than 20,000 Americans found a link between Facebook users who rely on social media for their news and COVID-19 vaccination rates that fall below those of the general population.

The study, which also found higher rates of institutional distrust among Facebook users, followsa health advisoryby the U.S. surgeon general warning against the dangers and proliferation of health misinformation on social media.

Peter Adams, senior vice president of education for the News Literacy Project, an educational nonprofit dedicated to news consumption discusses social media misinformation in the age of COVID-19.