The latest Ofcom report on news consumption in the UK shows that almost two-thirds of young adults’ access to news is via social media, with TikTok playing a major role. However, Instagram was the most used news source for this group.
For some (a third of 16-24-year olds) they are visiting news websites via clicking through links from social media. Less than a tenth going straight to a news site. The weak relationship with traditional news comes as no surprise with newspaper readership from this age virtually non-existence, (around one-sixth still reading a physical newspaper), together with the continued decline in linear TV viewing. The report found that less than half are watching TV channels for their news fix.
This audience is increasingly drawn to light-hearted news on social media – dominated by celebrities, sports, and music. It will come as no surprise that the majority of this news is being accessed via mobile phones, just under 65%.