What impact does TikTok and Instagram have as the fastest growing video networks?

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TikTok and Instagram are accelerating the shift of news consumption toward video-led social platforms, alongside YouTube, as audiences increasingly use social media as a primary gateway to news.

The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026 says social media and video networks are becoming a faster route to news than traditional sources, and it identifies TikTok and Instagram as the fastest growing video-led networks driving much of the change. Since the pandemic, growth in third-party platform use has been concentrated on video-led platforms rather than text-based ones, contributing to a broader move away from legacy news outlets. The report also links this consumption shift with falling interest in news and falling trust, noting that social media and video networks have long been trusted less than traditional news media.
TikTok and Instagram are part of the second wave affecting news video
The report frames TikTok and Instagram as part of a new phase of social media growth that is affecting news organisations’ TV and video interests. It notes that an earlier wave of social media growth hit newspapers hardest, while the current wave is increasingly shaping how people encounter news through video platforms. It places TikTok and Instagram among the fastest growing video-led networks, alongside YouTube, in driving change in news consumption.
Social media and video platforms are increasingly the main gateway to news
For 2026, the report says social media and video network consumption has become the most widely used source of news globally, at 54 per cent of all audiences. It also reports declines in other common routes: TV news use fell by 13 per cent since 2020, and news organisations’ websites and apps fell by 12 per cent over the same period. This positions TikTok and Instagram’s rise within a wider pattern where video-led platforms are overtaking other sources in reach.
Trust and interest in news are falling as consumption shifts toward video networks
The report states that interest in news is declining, with the share of people saying they are extremely or very interested in news falling by an average of 13 per cent across the 48 markets surveyed since 2021. It also says trust in news fell in 29 of those markets this year, dropping overall to 37 per cent, the lowest level recorded since measurement began in 2015. Because social media and video networks are trusted less than traditional news media, the report expects trust in news overall to fall further as more people consume news via these platforms and related tools such as AI chatbots.
TikTok and Instagram’s growth aligns with rising video and creator-led news formats
The report highlights a continued rise in news video, particularly among younger audiences, as social media becomes the primary gateway to news consumption. It also points to the growing influence of independent creators and influencers, with 27 per cent of respondents globally getting some news from news-focused individual creators or influencers, and 46 per cent getting some news from creators of any type. It adds that people tend to view creators as more entertaining and more relatable than traditional news outlets, while also rating creators as less trustworthy and less impartial on average.

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What impact does TikTok and Instagram have as the fastest growing video networks?

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