Teachers across the Netherlands are facing a troubling rise in Holocaust-related disinformation among their students, much of it traced to social media platforms like TikTok. A new survey conducted by NOS Stories, a branch of the Dutch public broadcaster, polled more than 190 secondary school teachers and found that pupils are increasingly questioning established historical facts.
History teacher Maarten Post told NOS that students “no longer know what is real and what is fake because of AI and TikTok.” He described an incident where a student showed him a TikTok video claiming that the Nazi regime killed only 271,000 Jews—a gross distortion of the widely accepted figure of six million, as documented by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM).
Post welcomed students who approach him with such queries, saying, “I am very happy that they come to me with those questions … then you can explain it and start a conversation.” However, the survey indicates that not all students seek clarification; one-third of teachers rated their students’ knowledge of the Holocaust as “substandard,” and four out of ten said their pupils downplay the genocide’s severity.
A European-Wide Concern
The problem extends beyond the Netherlands. In January, German Holocaust memorial institutions issued an open letter to social media platforms, demanding action against the spread of fake images designed to distort Holocaust history. The Auschwitz Memorial Museum has also condemned the use of AI to generate fabricated images of victims, calling it a “profound act of disrespect.”
Euronews Next contacted TikTok for comment but received no immediate reply. The platform has faced criticism for hosting content that trivializes or denies the Holocaust, despite policies prohibiting hate speech and misinformation.
The Dutch survey highlights a broader challenge for educators across Europe: how to counter the influence of algorithm-driven disinformation that reaches students outside the classroom. In the Netherlands, where the education system emphasizes critical thinking, teachers are adapting by integrating media literacy into history lessons.
This issue resonates with other European debates, such as the Dutch Senate's rejection of a hardline asylum bill, which also touches on societal values and historical memory. Similarly, the psychosocial risks identified by the ILO underscore how digital pressures affect young people's well-being.
As social media continues to shape young minds, the responsibility falls on both platforms and educators to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust—and the dangers of disinformation—are not lost. The survey serves as a stark reminder that historical truth requires active defense in an age of viral falsehoods.
