The number of people using TikTok to consume news content continues to grow, according to a new report from Pew Research Center.
In the US, 10% of all adults are now scrolling through the TikTok app to keep abreast of breaking stories, which is quite remarkable considering it only launched five years ago.
The trend is even stronger for younger age groups, with 26% of adults under 30 using TikTok to get news.
Overall, since early 2020, there has been a three-times uptick in people turning to TikTok for news.
That surge stands in stark contrast to Facebook’s faltering position as a primary news hub.
The Meta-owned platform was used by 54% of adults for news just two years ago but that figure has since fallen to 44%.
With Facebook trending downwards, it would not be a surprise to see TikTok usurp its position as the most popular social media app for news.
It also comes amid growing expectations that TikTok could eventually challenge Google as the search engine of choice for users.
While TikTok and Facebook are on completely different trajectories in terms of growth and user numbers, YouTube continues to perform steadily.
The study found around 33% of adults venture to the video-sharing platform for news, which is a figure that has remained relatively flat for several years.
One potential problem TikTok could face as it grows is combatting fake news.
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have already run into issues with the scale of systems required to contain misinformation.
A recent study by NewsGuard found a fifth of videos in the top search results on TikTok had false or misleading claims.
