A new report from UK regulator Ofcom shows that traditional news channels are declining in popularity as news sources among the 12-15 age group. By contrast, social media is still on the rise despite low trust. More and more teenagers are turning to them as their primary news source, and for the first time Instagram (29%), TikTok (28%) and YouTube (28%) have even taken the top three spots in the ranking of the main news channels for 12-15 year olds in the UK. TikTok in particular has grown over the last year.
In contrast, the popularity of some TV channels has declined among teenagers. Historically, the most popular news channels BBC One and BBC Two have fallen to fifth place in popularity among this age group. Five years ago, however, up to 45% of teenagers watched them regularly. Now the BBC has fallen to 24%. But on the whole, TV news is still an important source of news for teenagers, despite the year-on-year decline. 59% of teens aged 12-15 use them as news sources (see below).
However, the general interest in news among teenagers is slightly up compared to last year. The survey shows that six in ten respondents are interested in news. Four in ten children said they were not interested in the news, describing it as too boring.
The most common way teenagers learn about the news is through family conversations (65%), followed by television (59%) and the third main source is social media (57%).
According to the survey, the most trusted news sources are family, radio and television. 79% of respondents said news shared in the family is accurate, compared to 72% on radio and 65% on television. At the other end of the spectrum in perceived accuracy and trustworthiness are messages from friends, which only 37% consider accurate, while teens rank social media messages as the least accurate and trustworthy (30%).
News sources across age groups, source: OfcomTV NEWS STILL LEADS AMONG ADULTS
The research also shows that TV news is still the most watched news source in the UK. However, despite its popularity, we can see a decline, driven by a long-term decline in viewing of traditional TV news. In 2018, 81% of adults watched TV news. In 2022, it's 75%. The research also shows that TV news remains the most trusted news source among adults. BBC One is the most used channel, watched by 53% of adults.
Average weekly reach of national/international news channels 2010-2021, source: OfcomFACEBOOK IS LOSING GROUND TO SOCIAL MEDIA
While Facebook is the most common source of news, its popularity is declining. In 2020 its popularity was 76%. This year it is 69%. Another network that is declining in popularity is Snapchat. From 17% in 2020, it has dropped to 10%, according to the latest data. However, other social networks are still rising. The second most popular social network for news is Twitter (37%). This is followed by Instagram (34%) and WhatsApp (31%). The biggest increase in popularity can be seen with TikTok, which has risen to 15% compared to 2020 (3%).
The full study, News Consumption in the UK: 2022, is available here.
Source: mediaguru.cz
