how news-consumption habits are changing in the U.S

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Introduction

Over the last several years, the ways Americans consume news have undergone substantial transformation. Traditional outlets and channels (television, print, radio) are being supplemented — and in some cases supplanted — by digital and social media platforms. These trends carry both opportunity and challenge: on one hand, news is more accessible; on the other, concerns about quality, trust, and attention persist.

Key recent findings:

This shift is reshaping how media organisations think about distribution, how individuals engage with current events, and how societies judge the credibility of news. In what follows, we delve into: what the data show, what drives the change, implications of the change, and what it may mean going forward.

What the data show: key trends in U.S. news consumption

Rise of mobile & digital as dominant platform

  • A large majority of U.S. adults (86%) say they at least sometimes get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet; 58% say they prefer getting news this way over any other platform. Pew Research Center

  • Meanwhile, social media — which is one subset of digital channels — is now used at least sometimes by over half (54%) of U.S. adults to get news. Pew Research Center

  • The up-shot: news is increasingly consumed on the go, via devices, in bite-sized or mobile-friendly formats.

Explosive growth of TikTok as a news source

  • In 2020 only ~3% of U.S. adults said they regularly got their news from TikTok; by 2024/25 this has surged to ~17-20%. Pew Research Center+1

  • Among adults under 30, 43% now say they regularly get news on TikTok. Barrett Media

  • Among adult TikTok users specifically, ~55% say they regularly get news on the platform. Barrett Media+1

  • TikTok news consumers are more likely than users on other platforms to say that the news they get there is unique (i.e., they wouldn’t have gotten it elsewhere) — 35% of TikTok news consumers say this. Pew Research Center+1

Platform by platform: behaviours and experiences

According to a survey from Pew Research Center:

  • On Facebook: ~30% of U.S. adults say they “regularly” get news there. On Instagram: ~16%. On TikTok: ~14% (as of the earlier survey). Pew Research Center

  • Among users of each platform:

    • On X, ~65% of users say keeping up with the news is a major or minor reason they use the platform — highest among the set. Pew Research Center

    • On TikTok, ~11% say they often feel “worn out” by the amount of news they see; compared to ~23% on Facebook. Pew Research Center

Demographic differences

  • Age matters a lot. Younger adults (under ~30) are far more likely to get news via TikTok and social platforms in general than older adults (65+). For example: only ~3% of those 65+ regularly get news via TikTok. Pew Research Center+1

  • The type of account people follow on TikTok: 68% say they get news from influencers or celebrities; 67% from journalists/news outlets; 84% from “other people they don’t know personally”. Pew Research Center

Source trust & uniqueness

  • On TikTok, news consumers are more likely to say the news they get is unique (i.e., they wouldn’t have found it elsewhere): 35% vs. 14% on Facebook. Pew Research Center

  • The variety of sources on TikTok is broader: influencers, unknown accounts (not formal news outlets) play a large role. Pew Research Center+1

What’s driving the change

Platform affordances & attention economy

Mobile + video formats (TikTok, Instagram Reels, Stories) cater to shorter attention spans and snack-able content. Platforms optimise for engagement, algorithmic recommendation, and virality. The nature of TikTok’s feed — rapid, personalized, often algorithmically driven — makes it a compelling place for younger audiences to scroll through something resembling “news”, commentary, or current-events snippets.

Changing audience habits & generational shifts

Younger generations grew up with smartphones, social media, and on-demand content. They are more likely to accept social platforms as sources of all kinds of content — including news. Meanwhile, older generations remain more rooted in traditional media habits.

News from non-traditional sources

The rise of influencers, micro-accounts, user-generated content, and commentary means that news consumption is less often the formal act of “reading the headline in the newspaper” and more often “watching a clip/commentary on social media”. For example: the fact that ~84% of TikTok news-consumers say they get news from people they don’t know personally is significant. Pew Research Center+1

Variety & perceived novelty

Because platforms like TikTok show content from many non-traditional sources, users feel they are finding “news they wouldn’t see elsewhere”. This perceived uniqueness may reinforce use of the platform for news.

Shifting trust & citizen behaviour

Traditional news outlets face trust challenges; at the same time, the line between “news” and “commentary” is blurred on social platforms. People may share or follow “what’s trending” rather than formally seek out news. Passive exposure has increased.

Implications

For journalism and news organisations

  • Distribution matters: If sizeable segments of the audience are consuming news via TikTok or Instagram, news organisations must adapt: shorter formats, mobile-first, visually oriented, possibly more commentary or influencer collaborations.

  • Competition & attention: The competition isn’t just other news outlets—it’s entertainment, social posts, memes, influencer content. Capturing attention becomes harder.

  • Credibility & verification challenges: With more news being consumed via non-traditional sources (influencers, random accounts), issues around accuracy, context, bias, and echo chambers are amplified.

  • Monetisation & business models: As consumption moves toward platforms, the direct relationship between the news outlet and consumer may weaken. Engagement metrics may shift, referral traffic may drop.

  • Innovation in formats: Newsrooms may invest in short-form video, social-native content, snack-able summaries, interactive formats, leveraging data about younger audience preferences.

For audiences & civic life

  • Fragmentation of news diet: People may get bits and pieces of news via social feeds, but less often the full story or in-depth context. This may affect understanding of complex issues.

  • Echo‐chambers & algorithmic filtering: Platforms tailor content to engagement; users may receive news aligned with their interests, biases, or network, rather than a balanced feed. The finding that TikTok news‐consumers often say they see “news they wouldn’t otherwise have gotten” suggests algorithmic novelty—but novelty isn’t always representative.

  • Attention and overload: Although users of TikTok report somewhat lower “news‐wear-out” than Facebook users, there remains concern about being overwhelmed by news. Pew Research Center

  • Trust and misinformation risks: When influencers or unknown accounts become news sources, editorial standards may be weaker. The risk of misinformation, mis-contextualised content, sensationalism goes up.

For social platforms & policy

  • Regulatory risks: The rise of TikTok as a news source has policy implications — e.g., platform responsibilities, algorithmic transparency, content moderation. Notably, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is facing regulatory pressure in the U.S., which could influence how the platform operates. Pew Research Center

  • Platform design effects: How recommendation algorithms surface news (what gets amplified) can shape public opinion. Research suggests significant algorithmic biases/imbalances in political content recommendation on TikTok. arXiv

What this means going forward & future questions

Will TikTok (and similar platforms) dominate news consumption?

While TikTok’s growth is strong, there are caveats:

  • “Regularly get news” still covers a minority (~20%) of adults overall; majority still rely on other channels or have diversified mixes.

  • Older demographics are less likely to adopt news via TikTok; so for full population coverage, traditional and digital channels must co-exist.

  • Platforms can change — algorithmic shifts, regulatory intervention, monetisation models, user fatigue may alter trends.

Will “news” change form?

Yes — we may see:

  • Short‐form video news summaries, headlines via social feeds, interactive formats.

  • Collaboration between newsrooms and influencers/creators: news outlets may partner with creators to reach younger audiences.

  • Greater emphasis on mobile visuals, snack-able content, but with links/back-ends to longer form for depth.

Quality & engagement trade-offs

There is a tension between engagement and journalistic quality. Short, flashy formats may attract younger users but risk missing nuance, depth, context. The question: how can news providers maintain credibility, depth and trust while adapting to new formats?

Algorithmic & democratic concerns

As platforms mediate more of how people get news, questions arise:

  • To what extent are users receiving a broad cross‐section of viewpoints vs. filtered content?

  • How transparent are recommendation systems?

  • How do we measure news literacy when consumption moves into the hands of influencers/algorithmic feeds rather than traditional gate-keeper journalism?

  • How will regulation evolve to ensure platforms act responsibly with respect to news content?

For your context (if relevant)

Since you’re interested in digital content (you mentioned a TikTok-based account earlier), some take-aways:

  • If you’re creating news or commentary for younger audiences, embedding content on TikTok or mobile-first formats makes strategic sense.

  • Think of “news” not only in traditional sense, but as contextualised, short, visually engaging summaries that connect to daily life.

  • However, building credibility matters: linking to longer resources, verifying sources, being transparent about your own lens will help distinguish your content.

  • Know your audience: younger viewers may prefer incidental news (“I encountered it when scrolling”), rather than actively seeking it. That means hooking via interest/relatability, not just headline.

Conclusion

The landscape of news consumption in the U.S. is undergoing a notable shift: from predominantly traditional channels toward mobile and social platforms, with younger audiences especially leaning into platforms such as TikTok for their news. This doesn’t mean the old models vanish overnight — traditional news sources and channels still play major roles — but the balance is changing.

For news providers, creators, consumers and policy-makers alike, these changes carry profound implications: how news is produced, distributed, consumed and regulated. The key will be navigating the trade-offs: accessibility vs. depth, virality vs. verification, novelty vs. context.

As this evolution continues, keeping a finger on the pulse of platform trends, algorithmic shifts, audience behavioural changes and policy landscapes will be increasingly important.

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