Poll numbers are showing an increase in Gen Z using TikTok as a main source for news content compared to previous years.
Gen Z (considered to be anyone born between 1997 and 2012 per Pew Research Center) is treating TikTok as a search engine to “watch multiple points of view, including personal stories, on particular news topics,” per Axios.
There’s an increase in Gen Z users on TikTok
According to Insider Intelligence, a new study from Her Campus showed that 51% of Gen Z users preferred using TikTok over Google.
Up to 75% of female Gen Zers ages 13 to 25 say they use TikTok, compared to just 62% of male Gen Zers, according to a report from Morning Consult.
According to Axios, “A 2023 Pew survey found that one-third of adults under 30 regularly scroll TikTok for news, up 255% since 2020.”
How is Gen Z using TikTok?
Insider Intelligence notes that TikTok started adding Google Search options and Wikipedia entries into its search results starting in September 2023.
According to Her Campus polls, there are several ways Gen Z is using TikTok:
- 76% of Gen Z adults prefer to use TikTok over other platforms.
- More than half of Gen Z adults prefer to use TikTok over Google as a search engine.
- 72% of Gen Z adults buy something after seeing a video of it on TikTok.
Stephanie Kaplan, the CEO of Her Campus Media, shared with Axios that “Gen Z news consumers are less likely than millennials to visit trusted news sources directly.”
According to Axios, media news outlets are starting to post more explanatory videos on TikTok.
What about the rest of social media?
Research from Pew Research Center highlights the changes among U.S. adults who use social media as a news outlet:
- X, Facebook, Reddit, Snapchat and WhatsApp have seen a decrease in U.S. adults regularly using their platforms for news.
- Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitch and Nextdoor have seen an increase in U.S. adults regularly use their platforms to check the news.
Concerning all of social media, Axios interviewed Ziad Ahmed, the CEO of JUV Consulting, who said, “Social media has become a point of discovery for everything — for interests, for influencers, for news. But that doesn’t then mean that we’re not doing further research or having further conversations.”