Pew Research Survey Highlights TikTok's Growing Role and Disinformation Concerns in News Consumption

TikTok's role as a news source is growing among Americans, particularly young adults, despite significant concerns about its Chinese ownership and potential for disinformation. A Pew Research Center survey found TikTok to be the second most popular news source after X (formerly Twitter), with 35% of users reporting they see news on TikTok that they wouldn't encounter elsewhere. Despite its popularity, only 15% of TikTok users primarily seek news on the platform, and the majority of the news content comes from influencers or unknown individuals rather than traditional journalists. The U.S. government has expressed fears of TikTok being used as a disinformation tool by China, leading to legislative actions aimed at forcing ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to divest its U.S. assets. Experts like Gordon Chang warn that TikTok manipulates public opinion on global issues, citing high support for Hamas in TikTok videos as an example. Meanwhile, Americans perceive TikTok as less influential and more accurate compared to other social media platforms, despite widespread recognition of inaccurate news on all platforms.