Teenage Brits are increasingly accessing news from social media platforms rather than traditional sources, according to new research from Ofcom.

For the first time, Ofcom’s News Consumption study shows that social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are ranked as the most popular news sources among teens aged 12 to 15.

Instagram was ranked as the most popular source for young people, and is currently used by 29% of teenagers for news. Meanwhile, TikTok and YouTube are also used by 28% of teens respectively.

Yih-Choung Teh, Ofcom’s group director for strategy and research said that although the statistics highlight a continued shift in how young people access news, they are increasingly sceptical of social media-based sources.

The study found that just half of Twitter and YouTube users believed either platforms were a reliable or trustworthy source.

“Teenagers today are increasingly unlikely to pick up a newspaper or tune into TV news, instead preferring to keep up-to-date by scrolling through their social feeds,” she said.

“And while youngsters find news on social media to be less reliable, they rate these services more highly for serving up a range of opinions on the day’s topical stories.”

Notably, TikTok has seen the largest increase in use of any news source over the last two years, Ofcom found – from 0.8 million UK adults in 2020 to 3.9 million in 2022.

TikTok’s growing popularity as a news source brings it on par with Sky News’ website and app, the regulator said. However, despite its popularity for news, fewer than one-third of youngsters (30%) said they trust TikTok-based news content.

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Traditional TV-based news sources were found to have decreased in popularity among teenagers. BBC One and BBC Two, which have historically been the most popular sources among teens, were knocked down to fifth place.

Around one-quarter of teens (24%) use these channels for news in 2022, marking a significant decrease compared to 45% just five years ago.

Among adults, BBC One remains the most used news source. However, the channel is one of several to reach fewer people this year so far.

News viewing on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC News Channel, ITV and Sky News is now below pre-pandemic levels, Ofcom found. The regulator said this highlights a longer-term decline in traditional TV news viewing.

Despite waning popularity, TV news still remains the most trust news source among UK adults.

Sky News is trusted by 75% of viewers while public service broadcasters are also trusted by the majority of their respective audiences.

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