A new report has found that almost half of 18 to 24-year-olds now use TikTok for news, as traditional media sources such as television, radio, and newspapers continue to decline in popularity. The Digital News Report, released on Tuesday, paints a picture of rapidly shifting news consumption habits among younger Australians.
Young Australians Abandon Traditional Media
According to the survey by the News and Media Research Centre at the University of Canberra, the majority of Australian adults under 25 have never used newspapers or radio as a source of news. Specifically, 60% of 18 to 24-year-olds have never used newspapers, while 53% have never used radio for news. Even television has never been a source of news for 25% of this demographic.
Overall, 40% of all Australians who previously relied on newspapers and radio have stopped using these traditional platforms. The long-term trend is a clear shift away from traditional media towards digital and social platforms.
Rise of Social Media and TikTok
Social media is now the second most widely used source of news overall, behind television but ahead of online news. Among 18 to 24-year-olds, 48% use TikTok for news, a significant increase of 12 percentage points from previous years. Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms also play major roles.
Creators and influencers are increasingly interpreting news for their followers, further driving the move away from traditional outlets. Podcasts and AI chatbots are also growing as sources of news.
Increased Interest in News
Despite the decline of traditional media, overall interest in news has increased, particularly among women and young people. Since 2024, interest among 18 to 24-year-olds has risen sharply by 12 percentage points to 47%. Interest in politics has also grown among under-35s, who now have higher levels of political interest than older cohorts for the first time.
Trust and Polarisation
Globally, trust in news has fallen to a 10-year low of 37%, the lowest since the report began measuring trust in 2015. In Australia, 49% of people say they prefer news from sources that do not take a particular point of view, while only 17% favour news aligning with their own views.
Public service broadcasters such as the ABC and SBS receive positive ratings from nearly half of news consumers, but 39% of right-leaning respondents view them negatively. Younger Australians are more positive about public service media than older generations.
The Role of AI Chatbots
Generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini are emerging as new frontiers for news access. Almost 10% of Australians report using these tools to get news, including asking follow-up questions.
The global edition of the Digital News Report, based on nearly 100,000 online news consumers in 48 markets, found the steepest trust declines in the Philippines, Ireland, Thailand, Peru, and Poland. In the United States, trust fell to 25%, with only 15% among right-leaning Americans.
