Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

TikTok is fastest growing news source for UK adults, Ofcom finds

TikTok is fastest growing news source for UK adults, Ofcom finds

App is used by 7% of adults for news with nearly half turning to TikTokers rather than conventional outlets for updates

Watch out Huw Edwards, the TikTokers are coming. The social video platform is the fastest growing news source for UK adults, according to a survey, but nearly half of people using it for current affairs turn to fellow TikTokers rather than conventional news organisations for their updates.

TikTok is used by 7% of adults for news, according to the UK’s communications watchdog, up from 1% in 2020. The growth is primarily driven by young users, with half of its news followers aged 16 to 24.


Ofcom’s annual report on news consumption in the UK showed that for teenagers aged 12-15, Instagram has deposed BBC One and BBC Two as the most popular news source among teenagers, closely followed by TikTok and YouTube.

“Teenagers today are increasingly unlikely to pick up a newspaper or tune into TV News, instead preferring to keep up-to-date by scrolling through their social feeds,” said Yih-Choung Teh, Ofcom’s group director for strategy and research. “And while youngsters find news on social media to be less reliable, they rate these services more highly for serving up a range of opinions on the day’s topical stories.”

The Ofcom study showed that news organisations are having to compete with non-journalist TikTokers as a news source on the platform. For those who consume news on TikTok, their main source is other people they follow (44%), followed by friends and family (32%) and then news organisations (24%). The most popular official news sources on TikTok include Sky News, the BBC and ITV.


TikTok has more than 1 billion users worldwide and is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese tech company. Its power as a news source has come to the fore during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the White House briefing 30 influential TikTokers on the war.

Despite TikTok’s growth in the UK as a news source, it appears to lag the US. A quarter of US adults say they always use TikTok to get the news, with nearly half of US millennial and Gen Z adults – under-41s and under-25s respectively – indicating the same, according to the analysis firm Forrester Research.

There have also been warnings that the platform has been susceptible to misinformation and disinformation during the conflict, with examples including video game clips passed off as real footage and the mislabelling of footage to give the impression that Russia is readying for a nuclear attack. Disinformation is the deliberate distribution of false information that intends to cause harm, whereas misinformation is when false information is shared but no harm is meant.


The app also became a highly popular source of coverage for the defamation case brought by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard in the US, with the platform’s videos appearing to skew heavily in favour of Depp, who ultimately won the case. On TikTok videos posted with the #JusticeForJohnnyDepp hashtag gained more than 20bn views in two months, while the derogatory #AmberTurd had billions of views.

Nic Newman, a senior research associate at the Reuters Institute for the Study Journalism, said the institute’s own research indicated that TikTok was not used as a platform for serious news.

“Even young people, mostly, don’t see it as a platform for serious news. But they see it as a good place to get news about celebrity or issues that are not about life and death. They will often use TikTok in combination with traditional news when something really big happens like the war in Ukraine,” he said.

The Ofcom survey showed that only three out of 10 people who use TikTok for news view it as a trustworthy source.

Fanbytes, a UK-based generation Z marketing agency, said TikTok creators like Matt Welland and Dylan Page were making news “more accessible”.

“Tiktok shouldn’t be viewed only as an entertainment platform. It is an active participant in popular culture, with people using the platform to be updated on social movements and news affairs,” said Emily Hall, a campaign manager at Fanbytes.

A TikTok spokesperson said the platform was a place where “millions of people come to be entertained and learn”, adding: “We want everyone who uses TikTok to have access to good and accurate information, which is why our community guidelines makes clear we do not allow harmful misinformation.”

The Ofcom report shows, however, that TikTok remains far behind conventional news sources and one social media powerhouse in particular. BBC One remains the most popular news source among adults (53%), followed by ITV (35%) and then Facebook (32%), which remains the most popular social media source for news (32%). Among newspapers, the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday are the most popular (15%) followed by the Guardian and Observer (10%).

Ofcom found that younger age groups are much more likely to use the internet and social media for news, whereas their older counterparts favour print, radio and TV.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×