Many Americans use TikTok to gather the latest headlines, but in 2026, other social media platforms siphoned off some of that activity. That’s one of the conclusions that can be taken away from the Pew Research Center‘s latest study on U.S. news-gathering habits.
According to Pew, 20% of Americans regularly get news from TikTok. One in five might sound like a big number, but it’s the same percentage Pew reported for TikTok last year. Among the 18-29 age bracket that includes TikTok’s primary demographic, only 39% of respondents said that they used the app as a regular news source, compared to 43% a year ago. A slight uptick among older generations made up for that Gen Z downturn.
Other social media platforms aren’t feeling that squeeze in the same way. For most of the hubs Pew tracked, a higher percentage of users got news from that platform compared to the previous year. But TikTok reached 53% of its users in that regard, compared to 55% a year ago.
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The biggest gainers in that category collectively suggest that Americans are turning to social media to find more local forms of news. 57% of Facebook users employed the platform as a news source, compared to 53% a year ago. And the biggest uptick belonged to Nextdoor, which jumped from 33% in 2025 to 45% in 2026.
Several factors have powered the rise of news and political content on social media. Leaders like Zohran Mamdani have harnessed the power of virality by collaborating with creators and aping their mannerisms. After getting elected, those politicians have eased restrictions on the platforms that boosted their campaigns. With a crucial midterm election around the corner, apps like TikTok have invested more resources in social media news content, and candidates like James Talarico are following suit.
At the same time, the rising popularity of social media news has brought more complications to that landscape. The White House tested the limits of Big Tech platforms with the launch of Trump TV on YouTube, and loopholes associated with influencer endorsements of political candidates have come under the microscope in D.C.
Could those pervasive issues be responsible for TikTok’s plateauing popularity as a news source? Perhaps some Americans are losing trust in social media-based anchors. But the upcoming midterms could turn the tide. If more politicians with big followings on social media — like Talarico — are able to win their races, the social media news landscape could advance once again.
