Instagram is now the most popular news source among UK teenagers, followed by TikTok and YouTube, according to a report published on Thursday by media regulator Ofcom.
Nearly three in 10 teens used Instagram as their news source in 2022, with TikTok and YouTube at 28 percent.
Just a quarter of teens get their news from BBC One and BBC Two, traditionally the most popular sources among teens, down from 45 percent five years ago, according to an online survey.
BBC One remains the most used news source among all online adults, but those numbers have also dropped by six percent.
TikTok has seen the biggest increase in news users, with an estimated 3.9 million UK adults now turning to the app, roughly the same number that use the website and the Sky News app.
Half of TikTok news users are between the ages of 16 and 24.
Despite falling numbers, TV news remains the most trusted source of news for 71% of UK adults, with only 35% trusting news on social media.
The use of print and online newspapers also fell to 38 percent from 51 percent in 2018.
“This is being driven by the substantial decline in the reach of print newspapers in recent years, and the trend seen before the pandemic appears to be accelerating, likely exacerbated by the pandemic,” Ofcom said.
The proportion of teens who use Facebook for news has also dropped to 22 percent from 34 percent in 2018.
