What percentage of US adults say they get news from TikTok? 2025 data
TikTok News Calculator
Current US Adult Population
Enter the estimated number of US adults (2025 data: ~264 million)
Platform Comparison
TikTok News Consumption
Total US Adults: 264,000,000
TikTok News Users: 52,800,000 (20%)
By Age Group
Note: Among TikTok users specifically, 55% get news from the platform (up from 22% in 2020)
Projected 2027: 72% of US adults will get news via social video platforms
More than one in five U.S. adults now regularly get their news from TikTok. That’s not a guess - it’s the latest number from the Pew Research Center, updated in September 2025. Twenty percent of American adults say they turn to TikTok for news, up from just 3% in 2020. In just five years, a platform built for dance challenges and lip-syncing has become a major news pipeline - especially for younger people.
Who’s actually watching news on TikTok?
The numbers break down sharply by age. Among adults under 30, nearly half - 43% - say they regularly get news on TikTok. For those between 30 and 49, it’s 25%. That’s a huge jump from 2020, when only 2% in that age group used TikTok for news. But it drops off fast after that. Just 10% of adults aged 50 to 64 say they get news there, and only 3% of those 65 and older do.
If you look only at people who already use TikTok - not the general population - the numbers climb even higher. Among adult TikTok users, 55% say they regularly get news on the app. That’s up from 22% in 2020. In other words, more than half of the people who use TikTok are using it for news, not just entertainment.
Why TikTok? It’s not about the headlines
People aren’t turning to TikTok because it has a news section. There isn’t one. Instead, the algorithm feeds them news based on what they watch, like, or comment on. If you spend five minutes watching videos about climate policy, TikTok starts showing you more of it - from journalists, activists, and even regular people breaking down complex topics in 60 seconds.
That’s why younger users love it. It’s fast, visual, and doesn’t feel like reading a newspaper. NowThis, a news publisher with 5.5 million followers on TikTok, leads the pack. Their “Who Is?” series - short clips explaining political figures with celebrity voiceovers - is a hit with Gen Z. Other creators like V Spehar, who runs the Under the Desk News account with 3.6 million followers, have become trusted voices by showing their research process and correcting misinformation in real time.
Traditional news outlets are catching on. CNN, The Washington Post, and USA Today have TikTok accounts, but they’re still playing catch-up. NowThis has more followers than all of them combined. And news organizations that use TikTok effectively report that 30 to 40% of their new subscribers under 30 came from the platform - far higher than the industry average of 15 to 20%.
It’s not all good news
Trust is a problem. TikTok doesn’t label sources clearly. A video might say “BREAKING” and show a clip from a press conference, but it won’t tell you if it’s from the White House, a local TV station, or someone’s phone recording. That’s why only 12% of TikTok news users have read the platform’s transparency guidelines, according to Pew.
Reddit threads in r/TikTokNews and r/GenZ are full of warnings. Users talk about falling down rabbit holes of misinformation - like videos claiming elections were rigged or vaccines were unsafe - that get pushed because they spark outrage. Many say they’ve learned to check the source before sharing, but not everyone has that skill.
Trustpilot reviews of TikTok’s news features average 3.2 out of 5 stars. Common complaints? “Can’t tell what’s real,” “Too many conspiracy videos,” and “No way to report false info easily.”
How does TikTok compare to other platforms?
YouTube still leads overall - 84% of U.S. adults use it. But for news, TikTok is growing faster than any other platform. Facebook is used by 71% of adults, but its news usage has plateaued. Instagram hits 50%, and X (Twitter) has 21%. TikTok’s growth curve is steeper than all of them.
Here’s the real shift: social media has now overtaken TV as the top news source in the U.S. According to the Reuters Institute’s 2025 report, 61% of Americans use social or video platforms for news - up from 52% in 2020. Only 29% go straight to news websites or apps. That’s a massive change in just five years.
And it’s not just TikTok. YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and even WhatsApp are pushing into news. But TikTok is leading because its format matches how young people consume content: short, emotional, and scrollable.
What’s next?
If current trends hold, TikTok could become the primary news source for Americans under 30 within the next five years. The Reuters Institute projects that 72% of U.S. adults will get news via social video by 2027. That means nearly three out of four Americans will rely on short-form video - not articles or broadcasts - to stay informed.
But there are risks. Multiple bills have been introduced in Congress since 2024 to restrict or ban TikTok in the U.S. If it gets blocked, millions of young news consumers will lose their main source. Some may shift to Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. Others might turn to apps like Signal or Telegram, where misinformation spreads even faster.
For now, TikTok is the fastest-growing news platform in U.S. history. It’s not replacing newspapers or TV - it’s replacing the idea that news has to be long, formal, or delivered by a person in a suit. It’s news made for the phone in your pocket. And for younger Americans, that’s exactly what they want.
Is TikTok a reliable news source?
TikTok itself isn’t a news source - it’s a platform. Some accounts on TikTok, like NowThis or V Spehar, are credible and fact-check their content. Others spread misinformation. The platform doesn’t label sources clearly, so users need to verify who’s posting and check the original source before trusting what they see. If you’re using TikTok for news, always look for the original outlet, check the date, and cross-reference with trusted sites like AP News or Reuters.
Why are younger people turning to TikTok for news?
Younger people find TikTok easier to use than traditional news. It’s visual, quick, and doesn’t require them to search for stories. The algorithm learns what they care about and surfaces content automatically. Many also distrust traditional media and see TikTok creators as more authentic. Creators who show their process - like how they fact-check - build trust faster than TV anchors reading from a teleprompter.
Do major news organizations use TikTok?
Yes, but they’re behind independent creators. CNN, The Washington Post, and USA Today have TikTok accounts, but their follower counts are small compared to publishers like NowThis, which has 5.5 million followers - more than all the big networks combined. Traditional outlets are slow to adapt because they’re used to long-form content and subscription models. TikTok rewards short, punchy, emotionally engaging videos - a format most legacy newsrooms are still learning.
Is TikTok news growing because people trust it more?
Not exactly. People aren’t trusting TikTok as a brand - they’re trusting individual creators. The growth comes from convenience and format, not trust in the platform. Many users admit they’re skeptical but still use it because it’s the easiest way to stay updated. That’s why digital literacy is becoming more important than ever. Knowing how to spot misinformation is now a basic skill, not an advanced one.
Could TikTok be banned in the U.S.?
Yes, multiple bills were introduced in Congress in 2024 and 2025 to ban or force a sale of TikTok over data privacy and national security concerns. If it’s banned, millions of young news consumers will lose their main source. Some may move to Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts, but those platforms don’t yet have the same level of news creator ecosystems. A ban could also push users to less regulated apps, making misinformation harder to track.
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