Gen Z Prefers TikTok Over Traditional News Media

In ye old days, folks used to get their news by listening to the town crier. Then Johannes Gutenberg perfected his printing press, and the newspaper was born. Radio and television entered the scene in the early 20^th century. And by the start of the new millennium, we had officially entered the Digital Age.

It’s safe to say that a fair number of people get their news online now. But a study by Pew Research found that at least 1 in 4 Americans “often” get their news specifically from social media. In fact, more than half of U.S. adults (54%) at least sometimes consume news stories via Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and the rest.

Now, if you’re using these platforms to go to the channel of a specific news source—for example, if you prefer Plugged In’s Facebook or Instagram page to our website—then that’s perhaps not so problematic. You won’t get the full story (we usually only show you a snapshot of our reviews on social media), but at least you’re getting the information from a credited source.

Older generations (i.e. Millennials and above) are also more likely to do some additional research if they see a questionable headline in their news feeds—or at least go the website to read the full story.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for kids.

According to Fortune, 52% of Gen Zers use social media as a primary search engine. It’s become a way to look up “what to buy, where to eat and how to spend their time.” And naturally, it’s become a prime source for their news, too.

What’s more is that teens today have almost entirely dropped the phrase, “Google it.” Instead, they “search” for things on social media sites such as TikTok and Instagram instead of Google. (While I personally cringe at the thought of using TikTok as a search engine, I am onboard with the use of “searching” instead of “Googling.”)

Now, again, if these youths were using social media to connect directly with newspapers and news channels, that might not be such a problem. But New York Post reports that “Gen Zers trying to stay informed prefer to have others digest the daily headlines first—and then not only deliver the highlights, but help them figure out what to think, too.”

Younger generations increasingly rely on their favorite influencers for information about the world. And they depend on the comment sections of those posts to tell them how they should feel about current events and how to avoid getting “cancelled.”

Kids don’t realize that social media influencers and journalists have very different reporting, editing and publishing processes. “While traditional news organizations view themselves as neutral disseminators of current events, with editors and fact-checking standards, content creators have a point of view and typically rely on themselves for any checks and balances,” says Reuters. Certainly, many may consider traditional media biased. But journalistic sources do, at least, gather facts and have a vetting process to deliver information. Influencers, meanwhile, might sift information with the same attention to detail as the 15-year-old in the back of algebra class or the sign-toting guy on the street corner.

To make matters worse, adolescents aren’t all that concerned about getting trapped in echo chambers or the bias of algorithms. As far as they see it, “only the important stuff shows up, and if something shows up, it must be important,” writes Adam Rogers for Business Insider.

“Where older generations are out there struggling to fact-check information and cite sources, Gen Zers don’t even bother. They just read the headlines and then speed-scroll to the comments, to see what everyone else says. They’re outsourcing the determination of truth and importance to like-minded, trusted influencers. And if an article’s too long, they just skip it. They don’t want to see stuff that might force them to think too hard, or that upsets them emotionally. If they have a goal, … it’s to learn what they need to know to remain cool and conversant in their chosen social groups.” – Adam Rogers for Business Insider

This can be incredibly frustrating for parents. After all, we don’t want our kids to be influenced into believing a lie simply because that’s what the masses or their favorite influencers say they should believe.

So how do we help our teens determine truth from fiction in a world that increasingly tells them to live their own “truth,” so long as it doesn’t harm others?

Well, Focus on the Family has a great article, “Absolute Truth in a Relativistic World,” that tells exactly how we can live out the one, real truth (that of Jesus Christ). But I think the same principles can be applied here, both as parents and as online consumers of news:

• Know what you believe. This one can be difficult since we may not know what to believe when we first hear a news story. But be a detective—search for verifiable facts instead of opinions.
• Know where others are coming from. Once the facts have been determined, it’s OK to listen to the opinions of others. When the apostle Paul came to Athens, he was able to share the Gospel with them because he had already listened to the people. He knew what they believed and even used it to help explain the truth to them on their level. If we take the time to ask those who disagree with us what they believe, we may find common ground to talk about the truth. And we may earn their respect as well.
• Watch your words. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians that the truth will be offensive to unbelievers. It’s often the same in the online news world. As Rogers stated in Business Insider, “[Teens] don’t want to see stuff that might force them to think too hard, or that upsets them emotionally.” So when we talk to our kids (or perhaps someone in the comments section of a story), keep the words of Paul in Colossians in mind.

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Colossians 4:5-6

• Remember, people are important. As the Focus article tells us: “Though it may feel great to win a debate or prove a point, keep in mind that Jesus called us to be fishers of men, not winners of arguments. In God’s book, people are the highest priority because He created us and He loves us. That’s why author Randy Petersen says, ‘It’s more likely that your relationship—not your arguments—will win [your friends] over. … It’s right and good to defend the truth, but remember that you’re trying to lead people to the truth because you love them, not to fill a quota.”