Turning on the News, Means going to TikTok for Many

In a dramatic shift in how Americans consume information, one in five U.S. adults now regularly gets news from TikTok, according to a new analysis by the Pew Research Center. The findings highlight the video-sharing app's explosive growth as a news source, soaring from just 3% of adults in 2020 to 20% today.

The nearly 570% increase in just under five years marks a fundamental change in the media landscape, with TikTok's growth rate for news consumption far outpacing any other social media platform studied, including Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.

While the platform is often associated with younger users, the study reveals that the fastest growth in news consumption is among adults aged 30 to 49. This demographic is a key target for legacy media outlets and advertisers, signaling that the migration to new platforms is not limited to Gen Z.

The data suggests that as traditional newsrooms have debated how to engage with the platform, audiences have rapidly adopted it as a primary source of information. This acceleration points to a significant shift in where the public places its trust, moving away from established institutions and toward creator-driven content on platforms like TikTok.