United Nations (UN) secretary-general António Guterres on Wednesday called on society to #PledgetoPause before sharing content online, as part of the latest campaign that hopes to curb the spread of viral misinformation during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The Pause campaign, which forms part of the UN’s Verified initiative, aims to reach 1-billion people globally by the end of December.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic, the wrong information can be deadly. Take the pledge to pause and help stop the spread of misinformation,” Guterres urged.

The UN says research has shown that a brief pause significantly lessens the inclination to share shocking or emotive material, slowing the spread of misinformation.

The campaign also aims to increase media literacy to enable social media users to spot misinformation and not pass it on.

Meanwhile, UN under-secretary-general for global communications Melissa Fleming stated that Covid-19 was not just a health crisis but a communications emergency as well.

“When misinformation spreads, the public loses trust and too often makes decisions that hamper the public response and [endangers] even their own lives. It is increasingly clear that we cannot successfully tackle the pandemic without also addressing online misinformation. Each and every one of us can help break the chain of misinformation by pausing before we share,” she said.

The organisation is working with social media platforms to recommend changes and has recognised notable steps to flag or block misinformation and elevate science-based content.