Celebrities, influencers, and personalities have as much influence as a source of current events as friends, family, and news organizations
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 13, 2019 — Teens today are not only getting the majority of their news online, but they are turning away from traditional media organizations to find out about current events on social media sites and YouTube, often from online influencers and celebrities, according to a new poll by Common Sense and SurveyMonkey.
The survey found that more than half of teens (54%) get news at least a few times a week from social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and 50% get news from YouTube.
Teens' news habits reflect the diversity of the modern media landscape. And, while most news organizations maintain accounts on social media and other platforms, they are competing for attention with corporate brands, celebrities, influencers, and personal connections. Of those teens who get their news from YouTube, for example, six in 10 say they are more likely to get it from celebrities, influencers, and personalities rather than from news organizations utilizing the platform.
What's noteworthy is that, even with so many relying on alternative sources for the majority of their news, teens are more confident in the news they get directly from news organizations. Of teens who get news of current events from news organizations, 65% say it helps them better understand what is going on. In contrast, just 53% of teens who get news from social media say it helps them better understand what is going on, while 19 percent say it has made them more confused about current events.
Amid ongoing concerns about the impact of information disseminated through social media on elections, older teens' news habits may have political implications. Of the teens age 16 and 17 who say they'll be eligible to vote in the 2020 election, 85% are likely to cast a ballot, including 61% who say they're "very likely."
"These findings raise concerns about what kind of news the next generation is using to shape their decisions," said James Steyer, CEO of Common Sense. "There are few standards for what constitutes news and how accurately it's portrayed on the platforms teens use. With the 2020 election coming up, we need to make sure teens are getting their news from reliable sources, thinking critically, and making informed decisions."
This latest survey is part of a Common Sense partnership with SurveyMonkey to examine media and technology trends affecting kids and their parents and to share actionable data and insights with families.
"While it's notable that teens rely heavily on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube to stay informed, their reliance on news from celebrities and influencers rather than journalists may have pernicious implications," said Jon Cohen, chief research officer at SurveyMonkey. "It's a bit of a paradox: Overwhelmingly teens say they are interested in keeping up with the news, but they're not seeking out either traditional or new media to do so."
Selected key findings
Methodology: This SurveyMonkey Audience survey was conducted June 14 to 25, 2019, among 1,005 teenagers age 13 to 17 in the United States. Respondents for these surveys were selected from more than 2 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. The modeled error estimate for the full sample is +/-4.0 percentage points. Data has been weighted for age and sex using the Census Bureau's American Community Survey to reflect the demographic composition of people in the United States age 13 to 17. Full results are available here.
About Common Sense
Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. Learn more at commonsense.org.
About SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is a leading global survey software company on a mission to power the curious. The company’s People Powered Data platform empowers over 17 million active users to measure and understand feedback from employees, customers, website and app users, and the market. SurveyMonkey’s products, enterprise solutions and integrations enable 335,000+ organizations to solve daily challenges, from delivering better customer experiences to increasing employee retention. With SurveyMonkey, organizations around the world can transform feedback into business intelligence that drives growth and innovation.
Contacts:
Common Sense
Tanya Schevitz
tschevitz@commonsense.org
(415) 298-5532
SurveyMonkey
Sandra Gharib
sandrag@surveymonkey.com