Young people choose TikTok and Instagram for their information

And not the traditional media

An Ofcom survey in the United Kingdom showed that young people are moving away from traditional media and choosing social media for their information. News consumption on TikTok rose from 800,000 users in 2020 to 3.9 million in 2022. 29% of teenagers choose Instagram for their news, with TikTok and YouTube following closely behind in percentages. Television, radio and print still prevail only in older age groups.

In fact, on TikTok, half of the users who get news from the platform are aged 16-24, while they outnumber those who get news from the Sky News website and app.

47% are informed about what is happening by other people they follow and only 24% are informed by the accounts of news agencies. Meanwhile, while young people recognize that news from social media is less reliable, they rate these services higher because they offer a range of opinions. Less than 30% trust the news content they find on TikTok.

It is worth mentioning, however, that the biggest source of information for teenagers in the United Kingdom is their families with a percentage of 65% and the only thing that is certain is that parents do not get their information from TikTok. For adults, BBC One remains the most trusted source of information.