TikTok Rises as News Source While Facebook Sees Decline
A new Pew Research study shows 33% of TikTok users regularly get news from the app, up from 22% in 2020. Meanwhile, Facebook experiences a significant drop in its news consumption metrics.
A new Pew Research Center study reveals that TikTok is rapidly growing as a destination for news consumption. The report shows that 33% of TikTok users now say they regularly get their news on the app, marking a significant increase from just 22% in 2020. This shift highlights how the video platform evolves from a simple entertainment hub into a vital source of information for its user base.
While TikTok experiences this upward trend, nearly every other major social media platform sees a decline in regular news consumption. Facebook takes a particularly notable hit, with only 44% of its users now reporting that they regularly get news there, down from 54% two years ago. Despite this drop, Facebook currently remains the top social media site for overall news consumption among U.S. adults.
This growing reliance on TikTok for news raises serious national security concerns due to the app's connections to China. Recent reports and Senate hearings highlight how China-based ByteDance employees previously accessed U.S. user data, sparking fears that a foreign power could influence young Americans through subtle algorithm tweaks. Although TikTok ranks fifth overall for adult news consumption right now, these metrics could shift dramatically as its younger user base matures.