Pew Research: TikTok Is Becoming America’s Newsroom

TikTok isn’t just for dance challenges anymore — it’s becoming America’s newsroom. A new Pew study finds one in five U.S. adults now regularly get news on TikTok, up from just 3% in 2020. In fact, no other social media platform Pew has studied has experienced faster growth in news consumption during that time. Among adults under 30, that share has soared to 43%. Even a quarter of 30-to-49-year-olds now use TikTok as a news source. More than half of TikTok’s users overall say they consume news there — rivaling Facebook, X, and Truth Social.

Why does this matter? Because access to accurate, timely information is the foundation of a healthy democracy. Social platforms like TikTok can amplify underrepresented voices, mobilize communities, and engage younger generations who are too often written off as politically disengaged. But they can also spread misinformation quickly, raising urgent questions about media literacy, platform accountability, and how Americans learn about the world around them.

For better or worse, TikTok is no longer just for dance trends — it’s a growing source of political awareness and social change. The future of civic engagement may just be scrolling by on your phone.