According to the UK’s communications watchdog, TikTok is the most popular news source for teenagers aged between 12 and 15, reports The Guardian.
TikTok > YouTube&Instagram
Ofcom’s latest report on UK news consumption reveals that the just for fun app is the most used news source across all platforms for teens, followed by YouTube and Instagram.
Why is it the most popular in the digital world?
TikTok’s popularity is due to a powerful algorithm that selects what people see on their screen, as well as an effective search function that has made the app a compelling platform for users of all ages. But is TikTok really useful, and why do scandalous cases with it persist?
According to the study, for kids aged 12-15, TikTok is now the most used single news source across all platforms at 28%, followed by YouTube and Instagram at 25% each. However, the BBC still has the largest reach of any news organization among this age group when all its news channels are taken into account – across BBC iPlayer, radio stations, websites and TV channels – 39%.
Traditional news sites now old fashioned?
According to Ofcom, 16 to 24 year olds are 30% more likely to consume news via social media on their phones than adults, and more likely to consume news online than adults. That is, young people in this age group are also less likely than adults to choose traditional news websites as their news source (6% vs. 26%) and more likely to turn to social media. For example, Instagram is the most used single news source for young people at 44%, although BBC One is tied with Facebook at 33%.
But that’s not all. The survey shows that TikTok as a news source has become more popular with adults, with one in 10 adults using it to follow the news, beating rivals BBC Radio 1 and Channel 5 for the first time.
A minute of fun in TikTok – more desirable than a minute of happiness in the real world?
For adults, the survey reveals that TV news is the most popular source, used by 70% of UK adults. For now, BBC One remains the most used news source across all platforms, followed by ITV. Both channels have declined over the last five years – BBC One by 62% and ITV by 41%. Similarly, Facebook has also declined over the same period. TikTok’s rapid evolution seems to be beating the competition, even if the original idea for the platform was just for fun. Today, TikTok is the dictator of the new generation, and despite the many scandalous cases around the world, it continues to conquer the digital world, and along with it, it is taking over the daily lives of users in the real world.
