Published on February 7th, 2025 | by Jameelah "Just Jay" Wilkerson

How TikTok Has Become a Source of Information for Young People

How many times have you doom scrolled through TikTok and stumbled upon something interesting? Like, beyond the dance trends and the cute animal videos?

One minute, you’re watching someone make a three-layer cake, and the next, you’re deep into a 60-second breakdown of the latest global crisis. It’s wild, but that’s how TikTok has become a go-to source of information for young people.

About 4 in 10 young American adults get news regularly from TikTok, reveals the findings of the Pew Research Center. Why? The platform serves up easy-to-digest content right on your For You page.

And what’s more surprising is that young people trust it more than mainstream media. But why is that? We’ll discuss that here.

#1 Bite-Sized Content That Makes Sense

Did you know that attention spans are shrinking? An American Psychological Association podcast has revealed that.

The median attention span is 40 seconds, but it’s less for Gen Z’s. It’s just 8 seconds.

The rise of TikTok’s short-form videos is to thank for. TikTok delivers bite-sized knowledge in an engaging way. No fluff, no unnecessary intros, just straight-up facts (or at least, what sounds like facts).

Whether it’s a lawyer explaining your tenant rights or a historian breaking down an ancient mystery, TikTok’s short-form format forces creators to get straight to the point.

Want a breakdown of the latest economic crisis? Someone’s explaining it with memes. Need to know why a new law is controversial? A lawyer is giving you the key points in plain English.

It’s not just fast but digestible. Traditional news often overcomplicates things, but TikTok creators? They make information feel effortless. Honestly, who wouldn’t prefer that?

#2 Breaking News Travels at Warp Speed

Traditional news outlets take time to report. They must fact-check, confirm sources, and go through an editorial process.

TikTok? Not so much. The moment something major happens, videos of it are on the app within minutes—sometimes even before journalists have gotten the whole story.

Remember when the OceanGate sub went missing? TikTok had deep dives, theories, and live updates before mainstream news caught up.

The Depo Provera lawsuit is another case in point. To brief you, Depo Provera is a birth control shot that contains the hormone medroxyprogesterone acetate. Taken on the arms or buttocks, this contraceptive injection helps prevent pregnancy for up to 14 weeks.

Just last year in October, Alyssia, a TikTok creator, posted a video in which she spread awareness about the harms of Depo Provera and the lawsuit.

Alyssia, whose username is @alyssia22r, informed her followers that Depo Provera use is linked with brain tumors. As a result, people are filing the Depo Provera lawsuit.

The harm isn’t limited to brain tumors. Several of her followers commented that they experienced brain fog, bone density loss, and migraines while on the contraceptive injection.

TruLaw informs that women are suing Pfizer, the manufacturer, alleging that it failed to warn them about the risks and complications linked to Depo Provera’s long-term use.

Her video quickly took off, getting over 1,200 likes and 200+ shares. That’s real-time awareness, straight from a fellow user, potentially saving countless women from harm. Traditional media? Still catching up.

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