Controlling misinformation spread through debunking and prebunking strategies

Abstract In this paper, we investigate optimal strategies to contain the spread of misinformation by incorporating debunking and prebunking actions into an SEIR-type model for fake news dynamics. Both interventions are modeled as control functions acting on different mechanisms of the system, and finite-horizon optimal control problems are proposed and reformulated through Pontryagin’s Minimum Principle. Numerical simulations explore linear and quadratic operational cost functions and compare the efficiency of the two strategies under different initial conditions. Results show that debunking is more effective in scenarios with high initial spread of misinformation, while prebunking performs better when the initial infodemic is limited. The study highlights that a universal optimal strategy over a finite time horizon cannot be identified and suggests that a combined approach is preferable for effective misinformation mitigation.