Social media is a regular news source for a large share of U.S. adults, but usage varies sharply by platform, age and the kind of account delivering the information. Pew Research Center reports that 53% of U.S. adults get news from social media at least sometimes, including 21% who do so often and 32% who do so sometimes. Another 19% rarely get news there, while 27% never do. Together, these figures show both the reach of social news and the size of the audience that remains outside it.
Contents
- How widely Americans get news on social media
- Which platforms matter most
- Age differences in platform news use
- The role of news influencers
- Who delivers the news
- Accuracy, algorithms and news fatigue
- What audiences value and dislike
How widely Americans get news on social media
The broadest Pew Research Center measure places social media inside the regular news routine of 53% of U.S. adults at least some of the time. The breakdown is useful because “social media news user” does not describe one uniform habit: 21% often get news from social media, while 32% sometimes do. At the other end, 19% rarely use social media for news and 27% never do.
This distribution matters for news organizations planning audience strategies. The often-news group is smaller than the full population that encounters news socially, while the sometimes group is larger. A social feed can therefore function as a primary routine for some people and an occasional point of contact for others. The figures are percentages of U.S. adults from the Pew Research Center Social Media and News Fact Sheet; they should not be read as a count of people or as a measure of time spent on platforms.
Platform-level reach is also uneven. Pew reports that 38% of U.S. adults regularly get news on Facebook and 35% regularly get news on YouTube. Instagram and TikTok each reach 20% of adults for regular news use. X, formerly Twitter, reaches 12%, followed by Reddit at 9%, Nextdoor at 6%, WhatsApp at 5%, Threads at 3%, and Rumble, Truth Social and Bluesky at 2% each.
| Platform | U.S. adults who regularly get news there |
|---|---|
| 38% | |
| YouTube | 35% |
| 20% | |
| TikTok | 20% |
| X | 12% |
| 9% | |
| Nextdoor | 6% |
| 5% |
Source: Pew Research Center, Social Media and News Fact Sheet. These platform percentages describe U.S. adults, not only each platform’s user base.
Which platforms matter most
The platform ranking changes when the denominator becomes platform users rather than all U.S. adults. Among X users, 57% regularly get news on X. The corresponding figure is 55% among Truth Social users and 15% among WhatsApp users, according to the same Pew Research Center fact sheet. These measures indicate how strongly news is embedded in a platform’s use, but they do not show that users receive the same volume, topics or quality of news.
The audience’s experience also differs by platform. Pew found that 92% of X users see at least one of four kinds of news-related content on the platform. The comparable figures are 91% of Facebook users, 90% of TikTok users and 82% of Instagram users. Breaking news is especially visible on X and Facebook: 75% of X users see breaking news in real time, compared with 58% of Facebook users.
These measures describe exposure to news-related content, not necessarily a deliberate search for journalism. They also show why platform strategy cannot be reduced to a single reach number. A platform may have a smaller share of adults regularly using it for news while still exposing a high share of its own users to news-related material.
Age differences in platform news use
Age is one of the clearest dividing lines in social media news statistics. Pew Research Center’s age tables show that Facebook has a relatively broad distribution: 41% of adults ages 18–29 regularly get news there, as do 45% of adults ages 30–49, 36% of adults ages 50–64 and 27% of adults ages 65 and older.
YouTube is similarly spread across age groups, though its highest reported rate is among younger adults. Regular news use reaches 41% among adults ages 18–29, 37% among those ages 30–49, 35% among those ages 50–64 and 25% among adults 65 and older.
Instagram and TikTok show much stronger age gradients. Instagram is a regular news source for 40% of adults ages 18–29, 26% of those ages 30–49, 11% of those ages 50–64 and 5% of those 65 and older. TikTok reaches 43% of adults ages 18–29 for regular news use, compared with 25% of adults ages 30–49, 10% of adults ages 50–64 and 3% of adults 65 and older.
The age pattern is therefore not simply “young people use social media and older people do not.” Facebook and YouTube have substantial regular-news use across all four age groups, while Instagram and TikTok are much more concentrated among younger adults. For publishers, the same story format or distribution plan may encounter very different age mixes depending on the platform.
The role of news influencers
News influencers are a substantial part of the social news environment. Pew Research Center reports that 21% of U.S. adults regularly get news from news influencers on social media. The rate rises to 38% among adults ages 18–29, then falls to 23% among adults ages 30–49, 16% among adults ages 50–64 and 8% among adults 65 and older.
Discovery is more common than intentional searching in this group. Among people who get news from news influencers, 69% say they mostly happen to come across it, while 31% say they mostly look for it. This distinction helps explain why presentation, recommendation systems and habitual following can affect news exposure alongside editorial choice.
Pew’s reported reasons for using influencers also span information and relationship. Helping people better understand current events and civic issues is a major reason for 54%, and quick reporting on breaking news is a major reason for another 54%. A feeling of authenticity is major for 49%, while 46% value getting information different from other sources. Matching opinions or values matters for 39%, entertainment for 37% and a feeling of connection with influencers for 23%.
Who delivers the news
The people and organizations behind social news differ considerably by platform. Among Facebook news consumers, 85% have ever gotten news there from friends, family and acquaintances. The comparable share is 72% among Instagram news consumers, 48% among TikTok news consumers and 26% among X news consumers.
News outlets and journalists are also present, but the platform pattern changes: 80% of X news consumers have ever gotten news there from news outlets or journalists, compared with 68% of Facebook news consumers, 67% of TikTok news consumers and 65% of Instagram news consumers.
Influencers and celebrities are especially prominent on visual and short-form platforms. Pew reports that 68% of TikTok news consumers and 59% of Instagram news consumers have ever gotten news there from influencers and celebrities. Other people whom users do not know personally are another major source: 84% of TikTok news consumers and 75% of X news consumers have ever gotten news from such people.
These categories can overlap. The percentages measure whether consumers have ever received news from each type of source on a platform, so they should not be added together or treated as mutually exclusive shares. They do, however, illustrate the mixed source environment in which professional journalism, personal networks and creator-led commentary coexist.
Accuracy, algorithms and news fatigue
Concerns about accuracy are prominent in platform news experiences. Pew found that 37% of X news consumers often see news on X that seems inaccurate, compared with 33% of Facebook news consumers. Political identity is associated with different reported experiences: 42% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning X news consumers often see inaccurate news on X, compared with 31% of Republican and Republican-leaning X news consumers. On Facebook, the corresponding figures are 29% for Democratic news consumers and 38% for Republican news consumers.
Users also report that platforms shape what they see. Facebook influences which news stories consumers see at least somewhat for 74% of Facebook news consumers. The comparable figures are 72% for Instagram, 66% for X and 61% for TikTok. On X, 80% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning news consumers say the platform influences which stories they see at least somewhat, compared with 55% of Republican and Republican-leaning consumers. On Facebook, the figures are 80% among Republican consumers and 68% among Democratic consumers.
The perceived distinctiveness of platform news is more limited. Thirty-five percent of TikTok news consumers say the news they get there is unique and would not be found elsewhere. The figure is 29% for X, 21% for Instagram and 14% for Facebook. Meanwhile, 23% of Facebook news consumers often feel worn out by the news they see on Facebook, compared with 20% of X news consumers, 17% of Instagram news consumers and 11% of TikTok news consumers.
What audiences value and dislike
Among Americans who get news from social media, inaccuracy is the most commonly named dislike: 40% identify it as the thing they dislike most. Other dislikes are smaller: 8% name low-quality news, 6% say news is too biased or political, 5% dislike the way people behave there and 1% name censorship. Four percent say they do not dislike anything about getting news on social media.
The positive side is less concentrated. Convenience is what 20% like most, while 9% name speed. Seven percent say they do not like anything about getting news on social media, and 32% give no response when asked what they like most. These response categories are reported separately by Pew Research Center and should not be combined into a single measure of satisfaction.
Taken together, the statistics describe a news system built around broad but uneven exposure. Facebook and YouTube have the widest adult reach among the listed platforms; Instagram and TikTok have the strongest age concentration among younger adults; X stands out for news-oriented use and real-time breaking-news exposure; and influencers are a regular source for one in five U.S. adults. At the same time, users report concerns about inaccuracy, algorithmic influence and fatigue, making reach only one part of the social media news picture.