Posted by Despite its twists and turns and controversies, TikTok continues its meteoric rise to social media dominance among Gen Z users, evidenced by recently released Pew Research data.
For the first time, the wildly popular short video platform surpassed competitors like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram this past year, to become the most popular news source among the demographic between ages 18 and 29 in the US.
According to the study, 43 percent of Gen Z users regularly get their news from TikTok, with YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram following close behind. Just 21 percent among this age group look to X for news, and 18 percent to Reddit.
The trend among Gen Z for creator content – described as feeling more “authentic” to this group – may be a significant driver in their choice. While outlets such as CNN, MSNBC, NPR, The Washington Post, and The New York Times have begun posting short-form video content aimed to lure younger users, independent creators continue to be the most popular when Gen Z looks for news coverage.
Evidence of this trend can be seen in examples like creator V Spehar and his news-centric account @UnderTheNewsDesk, which boasts nearly 4 million TikTok followers and one million on Instagram. The late conservative news personality, Charlie Kirk, had amassed an even larger following of 7 million on TikTok prior to his death in September.
Already consumption of news from major social platforms has trended upward over the past three years, with TikTok boasting the most dramatic increase, from 32 percent in 2023 to 41 percent in 2025. When comparing to news websites and email newsletters, a full 76 percent of 18- to 29-year-old news consumers – the vast majority – prefer social media.
Will social media platforms become an increasingly larger piece of the news source pie, with Gen Z setting the pace for the trend?