Social media was by far the most popular news platform among 18 to 34-year-olds in the United States, with 47 percent of respondents to a survey held in August 2022 saying that they used social networks for news on a daily basis. By comparison, adults over 65 years old mostly used network news to keep up to date.

The decline of newspapers In the past, the reasons to regularly go out and purchase a print newspaper were many. Used not only for news but also apartment hunting, entertainment, and job searches (among other things), newspapers once served multiple purposes. This is no longer the case, with first television and then the internet taking care of consumer needs once covered by printed papers. Indeed, the paid circulation of daily weekday newspapers in the United States has fallen dramatically since the 1980s with no sign of future improvement.

News consumption habits

A survey on news consumption by gender found that 50 percent of women use either online-only news sites or social media for news each day, and 51 percent of male respondents said the same. Social media was by far the most used daily news platform among U.S. Millennials, and the same was true of Gen Z. One appeal of online news is that it often comes at no cost to the consumer. Paying for news found via digital outlets is not yet commonplace in the United States, with only 21 percent of U.S. consumers responding to a study held in early 2021 reporting having paid for online news content in the last year.

During a 2025 survey, ** percent of respondents from Nigeria stated that they used social media as a source of news. In comparison, just ** percent of Japanese respondents said the same. Large portions of social media users around the world admit that they do not trust social platforms either as media sources or as a way to get news, and yet they continue to access such networks on a daily basis. Social media: trust and consumption Despite the majority of adults surveyed in each country reporting that they used social networks to keep up to date with news and current affairs, a 2018 study showed that social media is the least trusted news source in the world. Less than ** percent of adults in Europe considered social networks to be trustworthy in this respect, yet more than ** percent of adults in Portugal, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Croatia said that they got their news on social media. What is clear is that we live in an era where social media is such an enormous part of daily life that consumers will still use it in spite of their doubts or reservations. Concerns about fake news and propaganda on social media have not stopped billions of users accessing their favorite networks on a daily basis. Most Millennials in the United States use social media for news every day, and younger consumers in European countries are much more likely to use social networks for national political news than their older peers. Like it or not, reading news on social is fast becoming the norm for younger generations, and this form of news consumption will likely increase further regardless of whether consumers fully trust their chosen network or not.

In December 2024, the news website with the most monthly visits in the United States was nytimes.com, with a total of 463.07 million monthly visits in that month. In second place was cnn.com with close to 357 million visits, followed by foxnews.com with just over a quater of a million. Online news consumption in the U.S. Americans get their news in a variety of ways, but social media is an increasingly popular option. A survey on social media news consumption revealed that 55 percent of Twitter users regularly used the site for news, and Facebook and Reddit were also popular for news among their users. Interestingly though, social media is the least trusted news sources in the United States. News and trust Trust in news sources has become increasingly important to the American news consumer amidst the spread of fake news, and the public are more vocal about whether or not they have faith in a source to report news correctly. Ongoing discussions about the credibility, accuracy and bias of news networks, anchors, TV show hosts, and news media professionals mean that those looking to keep up to date tend to be more cautious than ever before. In general, news audiences are skeptical. In 2020, just nine percent of respondents to a survey investigating the perceived objectivity of the mass media reported having a great deal of trust in the media to report news fully, accurately, and fairly.

Social media was the most popular news platform amongst Americans as of February 2022 and was used most regularly by women, with 39 percent of female respondents to a survey saying that they used social networks for news on a daily basis. Meanwhile, twice the share of men than women reported reading newspapers each day.

Social media is one of the go-to news sources in the United States – over one third of U.S. adults responding to a 2022 survey got their news from social media platforms every day, and a further 22 percent did so a few times or at least once per week. After the surge in social media news consumption in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, daily engagement fell in 2021, but the increase the following year suggests that daily news access on social networks could continue to grow in years to come.

The most popular social sites for news

An annual report surveying U.S. adults from 2019 to 2022 revealed that Facebook was the most popular social network used for news, followed by YouTube. Important to note here though is that TikTok was not included in the survey question for those years, a platform increasingly popular with younger generations. Whilst the share of adults regularly using TikTok for news aged 50 years or above was just five percent, among those aged between 18 and 29 years the figure was over five times higher.

Meanwhile, Twitter is journalists’ preferred social media site, with the share who use Twitter for their job at almost 70 percent. Since Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter however, some journalists raised concerns about the future of free speech on the platform.

Gen Z and social media news consumption

A 2022 survey found that half of all Gen Z respondents used social media for news every day. Gen Z is driving growth in social media news usage, a trend which will continue if the younger consumers belonging to this generation increase their engagement with news as they age.

Any internet was the most used platform for news consumption in the United Kingdom among all nations in 2024. However, television was also a very popular choice and could soon overtake internet as the main news source. Meanwhile, social media was more popular in Scotland and England than in Wales or Northern Ireland. Where do TV audiences get their news? BBC One remained the most popular TV news channel in the UK that year, with an audience reach of ** percent. BBC One, which is part of the television service portfolio of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), has held the lion’s share of TV news watching hours in the UK for over a decade. Online news platforms are stealing the show While television remains the leading news source among adults, younger audiences primarily turn to the internet for news consumption. According to a recent survey, almost ** percent of UK news consumers between the ages of 18 to 24 considered the internet their leading news platform, and as of 2020, roughly ** percent of the UK population read or downloaded news content online. Among those who got their news coverage from online sources, BBC News stood out as the leading online news brand accessed in the UK that year.

Data from a survey held in August 2022 in the United States revealed that the most popular news source among millennials was social media, with 45 percent of respondents reporting daily news consumption on social networks. This was more than double the share who got their news via radio. When it comes to trust, though, social media does not fare well.

Social media and news consumption

As adults of all ages spend more and more time on social media, news consumption via this avenue is likely to increase, but something which could affect this trend is the lack of trust in the news consumers encounter on social platforms. Although now the preferred option for younger audiences, social networks are among the least trusted news sources in the United States, and concerns about fake news remain prevalent.

Young audiences and fake news

Inaccurate news is a major problem which worsened during the 2016 and 2020 presidential election campaigns and the COVID-19 pandemic. A global study found that most Gen Z and Millennial news consumers ignored fake coronavirus news on social media, but almost 20 percent interacted with such posts in the comments section, and over seven percent shared the content. Younger news consumers in the United States were also the most likely to report feeling overwhelmed by COVID-19 news. As younger audiences were the most likely to get their updates on the outbreak via social media, this also made them the most susceptible to fake news, and younger generations are also the most prone to ‘doomscrolling’, an addictive act where the reader pursues and digests multiple negative or upsetting news articles in one sitting.

A study held in 2024 revealed that ** percent of X (formerly known as Twitter) users regularly used X for news. By contrast, users of major platforms Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube were less inclined to get their news from those sites, though usage of TikTok for news increased by ** percent between 2020 and 2024, with the platform especially popular among younger audiences.

TikTok news consumption is on the rise. Back in 2020, just three percent of respondents to a survey held in the United States stated that they regularly got their news from TikTok. By 2024, this figure had increased almost sixfold to 17 percent. Younger adults – those aged between 18 and 29 years old – are the most frequent TikTok news users, with almost 40 percent getting news there on a regular basis, double that of adults between 30 and 49 years and more than ten times the share of adults aged 65 and above. The rise of TikTok as a news source TikTok’s penetration rate in the U.S. is highest among adults aged between 18 and 24 years. More than three quarters of consumers in this age bracket use the platform, and for teens aged between 12 and 17 years, the figure was similarly high at almost 70 percent. These young users are those driving TikTok’s growing popularity as a news source. Whilst X (formerly known as Twitter) remains the most used social network for news, TikTok is rapidly catching up. Alongside Facebook, TikTok now ranks as the second most popular social media site for news consumption, with 43 percent of U.S. adults regularly using each platform to keep up to date, and TikTok is set to overtake Facebook in the next year in this respect. The share of U.S. adults using Facebook for news fell consistently in every year from 2020 to 2023, whereas in the same time period, the share getting news via TikTok almost doubled. The most popular news publishers on TikTok According to the most recently available data, the leading news publisher on TikTok in the U.S. is socially native brand NowThis, with 5.5 million followers. Targeting left-leaning younger consumers, NowThis describes itself as social media’s number one video news brand. Ranking second, third, and fourth respectively are broadcast TV news outlets ABC, NBC, and CBS with between three and five million followers. Meanwhile, left-leaning cable network CNN had less success with a follower count of under 1.5 million.

According to a survey conducted in Singapore from the end of January to February in 2024, ** percent of respondents indicated that they get their news online, including through social media. In comparison, only ***percent of respondents indicated that they get their news through print media, a news source that has been on the decline.

A study examining perspectives on the news media from over 40 countries revealed that levels of trust differed notably around the world. Nigeria recorded the highest level of overall trust in news among the other countries surveyed, at 68 percent. Scandinavians in particular had greater trust in the news media, with 67 percent of Finns trusting the news, along with 56 percent of Danes and 54 percent of Norwegians —placing all three countries among the top ten globally for media trust in 2025. Who trusts the news the least? Greece and Hungary were placed among the lowest in the world when it came to how much consumers trusted the news media, alongside Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Romania. Media sources in some of these countries can be considered to be insufficiently independent from the establishment. Just 22 percent of Hungarian and Greek consumers had trust in the news media, the lowest among all countries in the report. What affects trust in news? One factor which can greatly affect trust in news is the outlet used. Globally, social media is seen as a less reliable source of news, and in the EU radio and television are viewed as more dependable. In the current climate of fake news and polarizing political events, young people around the world are having a tough time relying on the mass media , although this attitude is also seen among older generations.

For around ** percent of Russians, television was the primary source of national and international news in March 2025. Social media were the second-most popular channel, as ** percent of survey participants mostly got news from there. Age divide in news consumption A significant generational gap exists in how Russians access news. While over ** percent of older Russians turn to TV, one-third of the youngest surveyed age group do the same. In contrast, social media serve as the primary news source for * out of 10 Russians aged 18 to 24 years. Overall, the share of the population mostly consuming online media was the largest among 25-to-39-year-olds. Trust in news sources Despite the rise of digital platforms, TV maintains its position as the most-trusted news source across all age groups. However, in the 18-to-24-year bracket, Telegram channels and social media have the highest level of trust, followed by TV. Among those 55 years and older, more than ** percent Russians place their trust in TV news.

A global survey conducted in 2025 revealed that nearly half of TikTok users paid attention to news shared by creators or personalities, including celebrities and influencers, when encountering news content on the platform. In contrast, just 36 percent of TikTok users engaged with news from mainstream outlets and professional journalists.

A survey conducted in August 2022 found that Gen Z news consumers most frequently get their news from social media, with 50 percent of respondents reporting they used social networks as their news source on a daily basis. There was a general preference for online news sources rather than offline outlets among Gen Z, with only five percent saying that they read local newspapers every day.
News consumption: Gen Z vs. millennials The same 2022 study showed that whilst there were similarities between news consumption among millennials and Gen Z, there were also stark differences between the two groups. Gen Zers were significantly less likely to listen to the radio or watch television for news, and close to 60 percent said that they never read newspapers. Meanwhile, approximately 20 percent of Millennials reported listening to radio news and 15 percent watched cable or network TV on a daily basis.

Despite these differences, both Gen Z and millennial news audiences both demonstrated a clear preference for using social media to get their news. By contrast, Boomers were the least likely group to use social media for news, generally preferring network news for keeping up to date. Indeed, social networks are not without their problems, with consumers growing concerned about the news they find there. Social media and news Except for podcasts, social media is the least trusted news source in the United States. Fake news circulates there easily as consumers either unknowingly or deliberately share such content, and younger generations, who are the heaviest social media users, are at the highest risk of encountering biased, inaccurate, and untrue stories.

News audiences in Norway were the most likely to pay for online news according to a global study on paid digital news content consumption, with 42 percent having paid for news online in the last year. Ranked second was Sweden, followed by Switzerland, Australia, and Austria. With the changing media landscape leading to more and more consumers turning to digital sources to access the news, publishers are adding paywalls on their sites. However, not all consumers are equally inclined to pay for digital news content. Italy and UK news audiences for example were substantially less likely to pay for online news than U.S. consumers. Why pay for online news? The reasons for paying for news are diverse and dependent on various factors. The digitalization of news allows stories to be shared and disseminated on a global scale, but not all sources are reliable or credible. For consumers, it is often difficult to identify trustworthy news sources, and as such which sources they would happily pay for. Consumers may also be reluctant to pay for news because of the sheer amount of free content online. Whilst the availability of free content made news more accessible, at the same time this impacts journalists and publishers. In Finland for example, this has led to a correlated decrease in sales of printed content. As traditional print publications move online, there is also a growing reliance on advertising to generate revenue. Users are encouraged to pay for access to restricted material as publishers limit content to members only. Consumer’s willingness to pay was seen to be dependent on content, with Americans happier to pay for news than features or e-magazines. Impact of the coronavirus With the coronavirus pandemic forcing millions across the globe to stay at home, having access to digital news has never been more crucial, accordingly an increase of subscribers paying for premium news content could be expected. However the health crisis has also led to economic hardship for many, which may instead lead to people cutting out luxuries such as paid news subscriptions. In the UK for example, 2020 saw a decrease in people paying for news content compared to the previous year. With the pandemic dominating news reports, 2020 also saw audiences experience news fatigue, and after a year of news coverage saturated with coronavirus updates, consumers may feel the need to switch off entirely.

Australians use a variety of media sources, both online and off, to access news. In 2024, around ** percent of Australians accessed news via TV, while ** percent of respondents caught up on news online. By comparison, just ** percent used print-based media to access news. Trust in digital news sources versus printed sources In 2020, the level of trust Australians place in their main news source was around ** percent; notably, newspaper readers had a higher level of trust with ** percent, than those who obtained news online, with ** percent. Whilst most newspaper consumers trust them as a source of news, around ********* said they distrusted the publications. The level of trust that social media companies will ensure that content on their respective platforms is factual is also low, particularly during times of crisis. Just **** percent of Australians strongly agree that social media companies will ensure content is genuine. The rise of fake news As of September 2018, ** percent of Australians said they had experienced news stories that were made up for political or commercial reasons. Elsewhere, ** percent said they had seen articles that had been made to look like news but were actually advertisements. Just ***percent said they hadn’t seen anything that could be described as fake news.

According to a survey conducted in 2023, 20 percent of adults in the United States who used social media to get news stated that convenience was their main reason for doing so. Speed and interaction with people were the two next most popular reasons for using social networking platforms as a source of news, accounting for nine and six percent of respondents, respectively. Smaller shares of adults said they liked that the news was up-to-date, the content or format, and the variety of sources or stories available. Overall, seven percent of U.S. adults who got their news on social media said they did not like anything about the experience.

According to a survey conducted in Japan from October to December 2021, ** percent of the respondents used commercial television as a source for news. Commercial television was the most commonly used news source, followed by Japan's public broadcaster NHK and printed newspapers. Japan’s demographic situation affects news consumption Despite changing media consumption patterns, which involve a turn toward online media, traditional news media continue to play an important role in Japan. One factor that exerts a strong influence on Japan’s news industry is the country’s demographic situation: Japan has a highly aged population, and older people spend a lot more time watching television and reading newspapers than younger people. Higher trust in traditional media One additional reason for the strong position of traditional news media in Japan is the comparatively high trust people place in them. A breakdown by medium shows that newspapers and television enjoy a much higher trust than the internet or magazines. However, people also make a difference based on topics. Survey data show that the share of people who think that television offers trustworthy information was much higher in the case of domestic social, political, and economical issues than in the case of atomic energy safety.

According to the results of a global survey held in early 2025, among selected major media markets, consumers in Brazil were the least likely to use print media to get their news, with just *** percent reporting consuming print news compared to ** percent of respondents from India. Meanwhile, news from social media was most popular in South Africa, and TV consumption was highest in Germany.

According to a report investigating news consumption and media literacy worldwide, television was the most typical outlet from which consumers got their news and current affairs information in all participating countries. India was the exception to this, with 82 percent saying that they used social media as their main way of keeping up to date.

Whilst news consumption varied across the world, social media was cited as a source of news for over 50 percent of consumers from each country in the study, and online newspapers, news sites, or apps were also popular choices. Meanwhile, printed newspapers were read by more than 60 percent of respondents from India but were among the least used news outlets in other countries.

Paying for news

Printed papers have long struggled to retain or pull in readers as news audiences look elsewhere, not least due to the availability of free online news. Indeed, a global study evaluating news consumption across 15 countries found that paying for online news is not yet commonplace. A separate report revealed that 67 percent of respondents worldwide admitted they only read news that could be accessed for free, and for Hungary and Russia the figure was as high as 79 percent. In an age where free websites and social media platforms satisfy the demand for free content, paying for news is not always an appealing prospect for consumers, and perhaps even less so among younger audiences who rely heavily on free sources.

News consumption among Gen Z and Millennials

Global data showed that Gen Z and Millennials mainly use social media for news. A total of 34 percent of consumers under 35 years old used social media as their main news source in early 2021, compared to 26 percent of all respondents to the study. Interestingly though, news consumption behavior among Gen Z and Millennials was different when it came to searching for news on the COVID-19 pandemic. The most used sources of coronavirus news among this demographic were national newspapers, television, and radio, whereas social media was a less popular choice.