A closer look at Americans experiences with news on TikTok
TikTok has become an important news source for many Americans. About half of TikTok users (52%) – equivalent to 
But many TikTok users appear not to be actively following journalists or news media outlets on the site. In fact, 
Accounts that are not linked to newsrooms also post about news – and can have wide audiences. Just 5% of accounts that TikTok users follow posted news-related content in their five most recent posts, while 10% posted about politics, according to a 
TikTok news consumers report getting news from a variety of sources, not just journalists. Among U.S. adults who say they regularly get news on TikTok, just as many say they ever get news on the site from influencers or celebrities (68%) as from news outlets or journalists (67%), according to a 
While a majority of TikTok users see news discussed on the site, it often looks different than traditional news: 84% report seeing funny posts about current events, and 80% see opinion posts about news. Smaller majorities say they see news articles (57%) or information about breaking news as it's happening (55%). In total, nine-in-ten TikTok users say they ever see at least one of these types of news on the site.
TikTok users may be getting news from accounts they do not follow. Much of what users see on their For You page comes from recommendations from the TikTok algorithm. It's unclear how much the algorithm highlights content from accounts that users follow versus accounts they do not follow.
In our 2024 study of news influencers, we found that 28% of TikTok users who say they regularly get news from news influencers (on any social media site, not just TikTok) also say they do not follow or subscribe to any news influencers. Another 13% say they are not sure.
TikTok is especially popular among young Americans, who tend to be more passive consumers of news overall. Younger U.S. adults stand out from their older counterparts in several ways when it comes to news consumption:
- Getting news from news influencers: 37% of adults under 30 say they regularly get news from news influencers, compared with just 7% of Americans 65 and older.
- Getting news on TikTok: 39% of adults under 30 say they regularly get news on TikTok, while just 3% of those 65 and older do so.
- Following accounts in general on TikTok: The typical (median) TikTok user ages 18 to 34 follows more than three times as many accounts as the typical user who is 50 or older.
This is in line with broader findings about the age divide in getting news on social media. However, older age groups are more likely to actively look for political news, according to an April 2024 survey. Roughly three-quarters of American adults under 30 say they mostly get political news when they happen to come across it, while just a quarter say they seek it out. By contrast, 60% of those 65 and older actively seek out political news.
