LONDON: Instagram is now the most popular news source among UK teenagers, followed by TikTok and YouTube, according to a report published by media watchdog Ofcom on July 21.

Nearly three in 10 teenagers used Instagram as their news source in 2022, with TikTok and YouTube both on 28%.

Only a quarter of teens receive their news from BBC One and BBC Two, traditionally the most popular sources among teens, down from 45% five years ago, according to online polling.

BBC One is still the most-used news source among all online adults but those numbers have also fallen by 6%.

TikTok has seen the biggest rise in news users, with an estimated 3.9 million UK adults now turning to the app - around the same number that use the Sky News website and app.

Half of TikTok’s news users are aged between 16 to 24.

Despite the falling numbers, television news remains the most trusted news source for 71% of UK adults, with news on social media only trusted by 35%.

The use of print and online newspapers also fell to 38% from 51% in 2018.

“This is being driven by the substantial decrease of print newspaper reach in recent years, with the trend seen pre-pandemic appearing to accelerate, likely exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Ofcom.

The proportion of teenagers using Facebook for news has also decreased to 22% from 34% in 2018.

 - AFP