Growing Share of Americans Say Social Media Is an Important News Source for Them
A majority of U.S. adults (58%) now say social media is an important way for them to keep up with the news.
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A majority of U.S. adults (58%) now say social media is an important way for them to keep up with the news.
Among adults under 30, 39% say they regularly get news from TikTok, up from 9% in 2020.
Many Americans use social media for news: About a fifth or more regularly get news on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Americans’ attention to local news has declined since 2016. Explore how people get local news today, shifting from TV and print to digital sources.
When a breaking news event happens, 36% of U.S. adults say they typically turn first to their preferred news organization to get more information.
Young adults under 30 are getting more news on social media, shaping how information spreads and giving us a possible glimpse into the future of news.
U.S. adults under 30 follow news less closely than any other age group. And they’re more likely to get (and trust) news from social media.
About one-in-five U.S. adults say they regularly get news from news influencers on social media, and this is especially common among younger adults.
Overall, 56% of U.S. adults now say they have a lot of or some trust in the information they get from national news organizations – down 11 percentage points since March 2025.
The share of news influencers in our sample with a Bluesky account roughly doubled in the four months after Election Day 2024, from 21% beforehand to 43% by March.
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