According to Business Insider, new 2025 survey data from the Pew Research Center shows TikTok is now the most popular social app for news among 18- to 29-year-olds in the US, surpassing YouTube and Instagram. Forty-three percent of young adults regularly get news from TikTok, compared to 41% for both YouTube and Facebook and 40% for Instagram. Social media as a whole is the dominant news source for this group, with 76% saying they often or sometimes get news from it. Half of young adults report having some or a lot of trust in social media as a news source, a level that roughly matches their trust in national news organizations. This represents a rapid rise for TikTok, as only 32% named it a regular news source back in 2023.
The creator takeover
Here’s the thing: “getting news on TikTok” doesn’t mean watching CNN clips. For young people, news is just as likely to be commentary from an influencer like Philip DeFranco or raw, user-generated footage from a protest or conflict zone. Creators like Vitus “V” Spehar with @underthedesknews have built massive audiences by delivering information in a more conversational, relatable style. Traditional outlets have noticed, with some like NPR’s “Planet Money” even centering their video strategy on individual creator personalities to build that same trust. So the very definition of a “news source” is fundamentally changing.
Trust and the platform’s dilemma
Now, the fact that trust in social media news is on par with national outlets is staggering. And a bit scary, right? It speaks to a deep erosion of faith in traditional media, but also to the powerful parasocial bonds creators forge. TikTok knows this is a double-edged sword. They’ve rolled out tools for publishers and a “community notes”-style fact-checking feature called footnotes. They also tout working with independent fact-checkers globally. But let’s be real. Can those measures possibly keep up with the sheer volume of content? The core experience is still an algorithm optimized for engagement, not accuracy. That’s a tough tension to manage.
A shift in media power
This isn’t just about consumption anymore. We’re seeing a full-blown shift in media power. Politicians now do podcast interviews to reach people. Independent creators had major presence at the national political conventions last year. And many are now applying for White House press credentials. The gatekeepers are changing. The news cycle is increasingly driven by personalities who can explain, frame, and yes, sometimes spin events directly for their audience. It’s more fragmented, more personal, and arguably more volatile. Basically, the center isn’t holding—it’s being replaced by a million different micro-centers, each with its own loyal following.
