These social media channels are where UK teens get their news

August 8, 2022 by World Economic Forum 2 Comments

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.

Author: Victoria Masterson, Senior Writer, Formative Content

Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are the most popular sites in the UK for 12- to 15-year-olds to get their news, according to Ofcom.
Despite being a top news source, social media is still the least trusted amongst young people.
News from family and radio and TV is more trusted.
COVID-19 showed the vital importance of digital platforms and also the need to stamp out misinformation.

Social media sites are the top news sources for young people in the United Kingdom, a new report shows.

Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are the most popular places in 2022 for 12- to 15-year-olds to get news, finds Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, in its News Consumption in the UK: 2022 report.

Insta is top for teen news

Almost a third of young people choose Instagram for news, making it the most popular news source for the UK’s 12-15 age group.

TikTok and YouTube are next, with 28% each of young people following them for news.

Although social media sites are heavily followed for news, they’re the least trusted news sources, alongside friends, Ofcom notes.

Only 30% of those aged 12-15 believe news stories on social media are accurate. When it comes to receiving the information from friends, the score is 37%.

Family and broadcast news are more trusted than social media

“Family, radio and TV are seen as the most truthful news sources,” Ofcom adds.

Almost 80% of young people said the news they heard from family was either ‘always’ or ‘mostly’ accurate. Radio and TV scored 72% and 65% respectively for accuracy.

That said, more than half of young social media users in the survey still said they trusted YouTube (51%) and Twitter (52%).

Changing media consumption

Ofcom says its research shows how different age groups consume news differently. While younger people are much more likely to use the internet and social media for news, older people prefer print, radio and TV.

Among adults, print and online newspapers combined have seen a decline in use from 47% in 2020 to 38% in 2022.

This has probably been worsened by the pandemic, Ofcom says.

COVID-19 content spike

Other studies have shown how global COVID-19 lockdowns hugely impacted media consumption habits.

In the UK and United States, more than 80% of consumers reported consuming more media content since the start of the outbreak, Global Web Index found. Broadcast TV and online videos on YouTube and TikTok were the top places for content across all generations and genders.

Playing computer games was one of the most popular online activities amongst younger people.

Gen Z and Millennials go online for different things

Young people in the Generation Z age group – those born roughly between 1995 and 2010 – were “more likely to be listening to music than searching for news”, Global Web Index said. For Millennials – those born between 1980 and 1994 – searching for cooking recipes was a key activity.

A separate Global Web Index report finds countries with younger populations spend more time on social media. Nigeria, the Philippines and India are the world’s top three countries for time spent on social media in 2021.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/E3pPV981-ncRE1zO6.html

Misinformation is a media threat

Digital and social media platforms are vital ways of getting information to people quickly, especially during crises, experts say.

But the spread of misinformation also hampered the pandemic response and highlighted the need for news sources to be trusted.

In an article on cybercrime predictions for 2022, the Nasdaq stock exchange predicts misinformation campaigns and ‘deep fake’ technology will be key threats.

To fully harness the potential of digital technology, cybersecurity must be prioritized in every sector of society, the World Economic Forum says in its Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022. “Much still needs to be done to arrive at a shared understanding of how to strengthen cyber resilience,” says the Forum’s Managing Director, Jeremy Jurgens.

“Cyberspace transcends borders. We therefore need to mobilize a global response to address systemic cybersecurity challenges.”

Discover more from The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

© UNRWA Search-and-rescue operations continue following the collapse of a war-damaged building in Gaza city.

Gaza: At least 20 killed in deadly building collapse, search for survivors continues

September 17, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Search and rescue operations continued in Gaza City on Wednesday following the collapse of a bombed-out building that killed at least 20 people, according to reports. The incident has highlighted the precarious situation of displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip who shelter wherever they can, including in […]

UN News/Nargiz Shekinskaya The UN HQ (Secretariat) building in Manhattan.

The world comes to New York: What’s at stake at UN General Assembly high-level week

September 16, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Each September, New York becomes the centre of global diplomacy as presidents, prime ministers, ministers and diplomats from around the world gather at United Nations Headquarters. At a time of mounting geopolitical tensions and overlapping global crises, leaders will tackle a packed agenda that includes conflicts and […]

Six UN staff killed in Gaza school strike; Lebanon violations mount

September 15, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Israeli strikes killed six UN workers and civilians at a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza as needs grow, according to the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA. At least 220 agency staff have been killed in Gaza since the Hamas-Israel war began in October 2023. UNRWA Acting […]

‘Where do we go?’: How Israel’s ‘yellow line’ is closing in on Palestinians

September 14, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Ola Ishtiwi sits with her children in front of the remains of her home in the Al-Tuffah neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City, a few metres away from a series of painted cement blocks Israel has placed to mark what has become known as the “yellow line”. Initially set up following the announcement of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire […]

© UNDP/Oleksandr Ratushniak A substation in Ukraine damaged during ongoing strikes in the war with Russia.

Ukraine: Drone attacks on Chornobyl are ‘gambling with the safety of millions of people’

September 11, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. A drone strike on the protective structure at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant could have endangered the safety of millions of people, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Alexander De Croo told reporters via video link from Kyiv on Thursday. He is visiting Ukraine, with his mission focused […]

© UNHCR/Dar Al Mussawir Smoke rises above residential neighborhoods in Tyre, southern Lebanon, following an Israeli airstrike. (file)

UN chief demands Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon amid Nabatieh escalation

September 10, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The Secretary-General has condemned mounting civilian casualties in southern Lebanon and called on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory, as fighting intensifies in and around Nabatieh. Key points In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, the Secretary-General said he was “deeply concerned” by […]

UN chief demands Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon amid Nabatieh escalation

September 9, 2026

© UNOCHA/Viktoriia Andriievska The aftermath of a drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine (file). UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk (file) said on Monday that he was "horrified" by the thought of fully autonomous weapons being used in battle.

AI: Türk urges action before it becomes an ‘existential risk to humanity’

September 8, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. UN human rights chief Volker Türk added his voice on Monday to growing calls for greater AI controls, warning that the revolutionary technology could become an “existential risk to humanity” if left unchecked. Without binding rules, independent oversight and clear limits, the technology could become impossible to […]

As wildfires spread north, UN agencies race to help Europe adapt

September 7, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. As the climate warms, the threat of wildfires is spreading in Europe. How can historically cooler and wetter countries prepare? Human activity causes most of the wildfires breaking out across Europe, but their spread, speed and intensity are strongly affected by the warmer, drier conditions associated with […]

© UNICEF-SoP/Crickx People walk down a dusty road in the West Bank carrying belongings.

West Bank: UN rights report warns of forcible displacement from three refugee camps

September 5, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Israeli security forces forcibly displaced the entire population of three Palestine refugee camps in the occupied West Bank in January and February last year – and continue to prevent their return, in violation of international law, according to a new report by the UN human rights office, OHCHR. […]

©UNIFIL/Tilak Pokharel UNIFIL personnel distribute food kits to displaced families in Saida, Lebanon.

Lebanon–Israel tensions escalate as Gaza sees major aid delivery

September 4, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Peacekeepers in Lebanon have reported a marked deterioration in the security situation along the Blue Line of separation, with Israeli forces intensifying their military footprint in violation of a landmark Security Council resolution, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Thursday. Meanwhile, in Gaza, humanitarian teams collected hundreds […]

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

World News in Brief: US-Iran war intensifies, aid for Myanmar, casualties in Ukraine

September 3, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Fighting between the United States and Iran has sharply escalated after a month-long lull, with the two sides exchanging strikes as fears grow over further civilian casualties. The US military struck rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, days after US […]

© WFP/Hugh Rutherford A family eat lunch in the Bedouin community of Umm Al Khair, West Bank.

Food aid cutback in the occupied West Bank as health fears grow in Gaza

September 2, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Lack of funding has forced the World Food Programme (WFP) to slash aid to families in the West Bank by half even though needs have more than doubled over the past two years. “We’re running out of funding, and that means that from today, some 200,000 people […]

© UNICEF/Laxmi Prasad Ngakhusi Mud covers Nuwakot district in central-northern Nepal following devastating flash floods.

Nepal flooding deaths surpass 900 as needs climb

September 1, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The confirmed death toll from Nepal’s catastrophic floods has surged to 903, with more than 4,200 still missing as rescue crews and humanitarian workers battle blocked highways to reach the hardest-hit areas, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday. Key points Triggered by a glacier collapse and […]

© WFP/Mohamad Al Hinnawi Brothers sitting outside their family’s tent in Gaza.

Four children killed as separate attacks in Gaza destroy aid supplies

August 31, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Israeli attacks killed four children and destroyed humanitarian aid supplies in what turned out to be a deadly week in war-ravaged Gaza, the UN emergency relief agency, OCHA, said on Friday. Key points According to UNICEF, the four children – aged two to 16 – were reportedly […]

© UNICEF Buildings are submerged in mud following flash floods in Rasuwa district in central-northern Nepal.

Deadly floods cause widespread destruction in China, Nepal

August 27, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Severe flooding in China and Nepal caused widespread destruction and mounting death tolls, UN agencies reported on Wednesday as aid efforts deployed to help provide emergency assistance. UN agencies and humanitarian partners are already providing support to local authorities, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. “The Secretary-General is […]

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

As wars spread, the global food system unravels

August 26, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. A family with four children abandoned its farm in Somalia after armed groups arrived and demanded payments for the right to continue cultivating the land. They walked roughly 100 kilometers to a displacement camp. One of the children died along the way. Carl Skau, the acting head […]

Gaza: Children still at risk despite drop in acute hunger

August 25, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Among tent cities pitched on the rubble of destroyed homes in Gaza, children are, by one measure, finally getting enough to eat. By another, however, many of them may never fully recover, according to a new study by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released on Monday. Key points Hunger […]

UN Photo/Elma Okic Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Doreen Bogdan-Martin speaks at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva. (file)

AI for Good: How the UN uses AI to advance human rights

August 24, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. For Ari, a six-year-old boy with learning difficulties in Jamaica, artificial intelligence (AI) opened the door to something many children take for granted: reading a book in his own language. Thousands of miles away, gold miners in Ethiopia are being screened more quickly for tuberculosis, while communities around […]