More US teens say they get their news from social networking sites (49%) and family (47%) than from any other source, according to a study from Common Sense Media, which interviewed almost 600 teens aged 13-18. Teens rely as teachers or other adults, friends, and websites/apps to a lesser degree, with around one-third having used those as sources for news the day prior to the survey..
Teens shared that they also prefer getting their news from social networking sites (34%). Family, as a source of news, was only preferred by one-fifth of respondents, followed by TV (17%). Respondents Thy least preferred turning to teachers or other adults (4%), radio (3%) and newspapers (1%) to find out what’s going on in the world.
Facebook (47%) is the preferred social news platform for teens by a wide margin, with YouTube (14%) and Twitter (13%) trailing in the preference stakes.
While the data reveals that teens both prefer obtaining news from social networking sites and do so most commonly, the majority agree that family (65%) and teachers or other adults (44%) are the most trustworthy sources. Only one-quarter of teens expressed having confidence in news organizations and 16% put faith in their friends as a reliable source of news. Incidentally, adults also trust family and friends more than the news they get in the newspaper or on TV.
About the Data: The study was conducted for Common Sense Media via telephone and online by SSRS, an independent research company. 853 respondents age 10-18 were interviewed from January 10 to January 22, 2017. The margin of error for total respondents is +/-4.59% points at the 95% confidence level.
