For the first time ever, social media has overtaken TV as the number one way Americans get their news. Whether that’s a good thing… depends on who you ask.
This is one of the standout findings from the Reuters Institute’s 2025 Digital News Report (via NiemanLab), released yesterday.
According to the report, 54% of U.S. adults now say their news come from social media and video platforms, compared to 50% who rely on TV and 48% who use traditional news websites or apps. It’s the first time social media has topped the list.
The trend isn’t just about raw numbers. The report notes that many of these social-first news consumers are in demographics that traditional media outlets have struggled to reach: younger audiences, men, politically right-leaning users, and people with low trust in mainstream journalism.
And while the U.S. shift is particularly sharp, the report says similar (but slower) patterns are showing up in other politically polarized countries like the U.K. and France.
Video is the new news
Another headline from the report: people aren’t just getting news from social platforms, they’re watching it. Weekly consumption of online news videos in the U.S. jumped from 55% in 2021 to 72% in 2025.
Most of that is happening on social apps, where younger audiences are leading the charge. Among 18-to-24-year-olds globally, video and audio are now preferred over text-based news. Platforms like TikTok are seeing huge news growth outside the U.S., with Thailand leading at 49% of users getting news from TikTok.
As for traditional publishers? The report says they’re still struggling to adapt their tone and format for video-first, personality-driven platforms like TikTok and YouTube, especially without cannibalizing their own web traffic.
The phone remains undefeated
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the phone remains central to how Americans access the news. Among U.S. respondents under 35, 57% say their smartphone is the first place they check the news each morning.
And as for podcasts? In the U.S., news podcasts are now as widely consumed as printed newspapers or live radio news, though much of that listening leans heavily toward personality-driven commentary rather than straight news reporting.
The full report covers 48 countries and spans everything from social influencers to AI anchors. It offers a fascinating insight into the many cultural differences (and similarities) in news consumption around the world.
But the U.S. storyline is clear: Social media, and video in particular, has taken the lead in how people get their news.
Does that reflect how you get your news these days? Let us know in the comments.
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