There was a time when newspapers dominated the information ecosystem just as the great dinosaurs once ruled the Earth. They were giants, imposing and feared. But much like in the Jurassic World saga, where extinct species only survive as exotic attractions or genetic fantasies, the printed press today survives more as a nostalgic symbol than as a dominant player in everyday life. For the Gen Z, traditional media are falling behind in the evolutionary race.
The information industry and the media are undergoing a radical and sustained transformation. According to the Digital News Report 2025 by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, the consumption of news through traditional media such as television, printed newspapers, and news websites continues to decline globally, while social networks, influencers, podcasters, and video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok gain ground among new audiences, mainly the Generation Z.
In countries like the United States, the use of social networks and video platforms as the main source of news has surpassed, for the first time, television and news websites. In 2025, 54% of Americans access news through social media or video, while only 50% do so via television and 48% through news websites or apps.
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What role does TikTok play in transforming news consumption?
TikTok is now the most disruptive emerging player in the digital news space. The report reveals that 17% of respondents globally use TikTok to get news, and this percentage is rising rapidly in so-called “Global South” countries such as Thailand (49%), Malaysia (40%), and Mexico (35%).
This platform is not only preferred by young people, but in countries like Kenya or Brazil, content creators on TikTok and YouTube rival or even surpass traditional media outlets in attention. In Kenya, for example, figures like The News Guy or comedian Crazy Kennar are mentioned more often as news sources than major traditional newscasts.
The challenge for brands and publishers is clear: if they want to be relevant to younger audiences, they must adapt their content to the language and format of these platforms, prioritizing short videos, accessible language, and recognizable faces.
Younger audiences prefer to watch or listen to news rather than read it
The study confirms a clear generational shift in format preferences. While 55% of global respondents still prefer to read news, young people are increasingly opting to watch or listen to it. In the 18 to 24 age group, only 25% prefer to read, compared to 44% who choose social media or video as their main source of information.
Countries like India, Mexico, and the Philippines lead the preference for watching news. Even in Germany, the birthplace of print journalism, those under 25 show a notable inclination towards video.
This change forces media brands and marketing departments to rethink their content strategies. Short videos, simple explanations, and audiovisual formats are becoming the norm, while text loses relevance among younger generations.
What concerns Gen Z when facing the news?
Beyond simple avoidance, the Digital News Report reveals important nuances regarding the barriers young people face when consuming news:
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39% of people under 35 say that news is difficult to understand or not easily accessible.
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Young people perceive the news as irrelevant to their daily lives, especially when content focuses on partisan politics, conflicts, or social problems without offering solutions.
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There is a sense of saturation: too much information but little clarity or context.
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Distrust towards the media is widespread, with 36% of Mexicans —for example— stating they have little or no trust in the news, and this figure tends to be even lower among younger audiences.
Artificial intelligence and the news
Artificial intelligence is beginning to integrate into the production and personalization of news content, but it generates skepticism. According to the report, only 7% of global respondents use AI chatbots to get news weekly, although the figure rises to 15% among those under 25.
While there is interest in practical AI applications, such as automatic news summaries (27%) or translations (24%), most people express concern about its impact on trust and journalistic transparency. Respondents believe AI will make news cheaper and faster to produce, but also less accurate and reliable.
Editors are already experimenting with AI to personalize news formats. The Independent (UK) launched “Bulletin,” a service that uses Google’s generative AI to create article summaries in bullet point format, supervised by journalists. Others, like India Today and the Miami Herald, are testing AI tools to convert text to audio. Even though journalists increasingly use generative AI in newsrooms for tasks like research, transcription, and headline suggestions, audience comfort with content produced primarily by AI, even with human supervision, remains relatively low (19% in the US, 15% in Europe).
This represents a dilemma for media outlets and content strategists: how to harness the potential of AI without sacrificing credibility, which remains one of the most valued assets among audiences.
