TikTok, the Chinese-owned video-sharing app, has become the single most-used news source across all social media platforms among British teenagers, UK regulator Ofcom has said.
According to Ofcom's News Consumption in the UK 2022/23 report, the video-sharing platform is the favourite social media news source for 12 to 15-year-olds.
The study revealed that 28 per cent of teenagers are now turning to TikTok for news, followed closely by YouTube and Instagram, both at 25 per cent.
If we combine the reach of all BBC platforms, such as their TV channels, radio stations, websites, and social media pages, then the BBC reaches more teenagers overall.
This surge in TikTok's popularity for news consumption coincides with a recent UK government decision to ban ministers from using the app on their work phones due to security concerns.
The House of Commons and the Lords followed suit, banning the app across the Palace of Westminster.
ByteDance, the Chinese internet company that owns TikTok, has firmly denied allegations of data sharing with China.
Despite this, concerns remain due to Chinese intelligence legislation requiring companies to assist the Communist Party when requested.
Nic Newman, a senior research associate at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, highlighted that a significant shift is under way in news consumption habits, with more publishers moving on to TikTok.
“Publishers were initially reluctant to go into TikTok,” Mr Newman said. “But over the last 12 months, most major publishers have refocused their strategy, partly because of the risk of young people encountering unreliable news.”
According to Mr Newman, the rise of influencer news and the platform's ability to engage younger audiences, from comedians discussing free school meals to serious coverage of the Ukraine war, signify a “big shift”.
However, this change also presents a challenge due to TikTok's lack of a business model.
While teenagers are increasingly consuming news from TikTok, their trust in traditional sources remains higher.
Ofcom found that BBC One/Two were trusted by 82 per cent of teenage users, compared to TikTok's 32 per cent.
Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat followed with trust ratings of 38 per cent, 41 per cent, and 31 per cent respectively, with Twitter standing out with a 50 per cent trust rating.
In terms of interests, younger teenagers were primarily interested in “sports or sports personalities” (23 per cent), “music news or singers” (15 per cent), “celebrities or famous people” (11 per cent), “serious things going on in the UK” (8 per cent) and news about “animals or the environment” (9 per cent).
Those aged between 16-24 demonstrated a clear preference for non-traditional news sources, with social media platforms dominating the top five most popular news sources. The list features Instagram (44 per cent), Facebook (33 per cent), Twitter (31 per cent), and TikTok (29 per cent), with BBC One (33 per cent) being the only traditional media source making the cut.
Nevertheless, Ofcom's report states that broadcast TV news maintains its position as the top news source among UK adults, used by 70 per cent. This percentage increases to 75 per cent when on-demand news content is included.
BBC One continues to lead as the most-used single news source across all platforms at 49 per cent, followed by ITV at 34v.
Among adults, TikTok's popularity as a news source is also growing, overtaking BBC Radio 1 and Channel 5 for the first time, with 10 per cent of adults using it for news.
TikTok (55 per cent) and Instagram (53 per cent) were most favoured for celebrity news, while Twitter led for breaking news (61 per cent) and political news (45 per cent). Local news was predominantly sourced from Facebook (59 per cent).
News from social media platforms received lower ratings for trust, accuracy, and impartiality when compared to more traditional sources.
One in ten 16-24-year-olds claims to consume no news at all, a figure that doubles when compared to the overall adult population.
The steady decline in print newspaper usage seems to have stabilised between 2022 and 2023, with 26 per cent of adults still accessing news via this medium.
This increases to 39 per cent when including digital platforms. The Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday and The Guardian/Observer remain the most widely-read print and digital news titles overall.
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
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more from Janine di Giovanni
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4-litre%20flat-six%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E525hp%20(GT3)%2C%20500hp%20(GT4)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E465Nm%20(GT3)%2C%20450Nm%20(GT4)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh944%2C000%20(GT3)%2C%20Dh581%2C700%20(GT4)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Results
Male 51kg Round 1
Dias Karmanov (KAZ) beat Mabrook Rasea (YEM) by points 2-1.
Male 54kg Round 1
Yelaman Sayassatov (KAZ) beat Chen Huang (TPE) TKO Round 1; Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) beat Fahad Anakkayi (IND) RSC Round 2; Qais Al Jamal (JOR) beat Man Long Ng (MAC) by points 3-0; Ayad Albadr (IRQ) beat Yashar Yazdani (IRI) by points 2-1.
Male 57kg Round 1
Natthawat Suzikong (THA) beat Abdallah Ondash (LBN) by points 3-0; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Ahmed Al Jubainawi (IRQ) by points 2-1; Hamed Almatari (YEM) beat Nasser Al Rugheeb (KUW) by points 3-0; Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) beat Yu Xi Chen (TPE) by points 3-0.
Men 86kg Round 1
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) beat Mohammad Al Khatib (PAL) by points 2-1
Men 63.5kg Round 1
Noureddin Samir (UAE) beat Polash Chakma (BAN) RSC Round 1.
Female 45kg quarter finals
Narges Mohammadpour (IRI) beat Yuen Wai Chan (HKG) by points.
Female 48kg quarter finals
Szi Ki Wong (HKG) beat Dimple Vaishnav (IND) RSC round 2; Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Nastaran Soori (IRI) by points; Shabnam Hussain Zada (AFG) beat Tzu Ching Lin (TPE) by points.
Female 57kg quarter finals
Nguyen Thi Nguyet (VIE) beat Anisha Shetty (IND) by points 2-1; Areeya Sahot (THA) beat Dana Al Mayyal (KUW) RSC Round 1; Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Ching Yee Tsang (HKG) by points 3-0.
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
