The share of U.S. adults who regularly get their news on TikTok has increased slightly. In fact, a new analysis from Pew Research Center shows that since 2020, no other social media platform we surveyed has seen a faster increase in the share of Americans who regularly turn to TikTok for news.
In just four years, the percentage of adults who say they regularly get their news from TikTok has nearly fivefold increased, from 3% in 2020 to 17% in 2024.
Primarily known for sharing short-form videos, TikTok is especially popular among teenagers (63% of whom said they have used the platform) and young adults.
Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand how Americans get their news in the digital age. 10,658 U.S. adults were surveyed between July 15 and August 4, 2024. All participants in the survey are members of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP). The ATP is a nationwide, randomly selected, residential address-based recruiting group of people who agree to participate in surveys on a regular basis. This recruitment methodology ensures that nearly every U.S. adult has a chance of being selected. Surveys were conducted online or by phone and in person by interviewers. The survey was weighted by gender, race, ethnicity, political party, education, and other factors to be representative of the U.S. adult population. Learn more about the ATP methodology here.
The questions, answers, and research methodology used in this analysis are as follows:
In the past, we have conducted similar research about Americans’ news use on social media. This time around, we continue to explore the same topics, but starting with the 2020 survey, our approach has evolved and questions are worded slightly differently. As a result, some of these indicators are not directly comparable to pre-2020 survey results. These changes in question wording reflect the Center’s efforts to improve how we measure news consumption.
Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of major funder The Pew Charitable Trusts. This is the latest report in Pew Research Center’s ongoing study of the state of news, information, and journalism in the digital age. The research program is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, with generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Younger people are also showing up when it comes to getting news on TikTok: 39% of adults under 30 currently say they regularly get their news there, compared to much lower numbers among adults 30-49 (19%), 50-64 (9%), and 65+ (3%).
Looking specifically at TikTok users, news consumption is also on the rise. Nearly half (52%) of TikTok users now say they regularly get news there, up from 43% last year and just 22% in 2020. TikTok users are more likely to get their news from TikTok than Facebook users are likely to get their news from Facebook. Still, TikTok users are less likely to get their news from the site than X (formerly Twitter) users.
Note: This is an updated version of a post originally published on November 15, 2023. The questions and answers used in this analysis, and its methodology, are as follows: