The news: TikTok has evolved from a youth-skewed app into a mainstream media channel, with its influence lying in how the app blends entertainment, information, and news into a single feed.

• 37% of US adults have used TikTok as of 2025, up from 21% in 2021, per Pew Research Center. This includes 63% of adults under 30.
• Half (55%) of US TikTok users—and 20% of all US adults—get their news from the platform.

Why it matters: TikTok is a cross-generational platform that’s compressing media behavior and raising stakes for brands and publishers.

With so many adults getting news on TikTok, brands are showing up inside a core information source. This creates opportunities for contextual relevance as well as risks around brand safety and misinformation.

It also raises the stakes for news publishers looking to show up through short-form video, exemplifying how it could be a new channel for engagement when digital revenues and subscriptions are under stress in other areas.

Recommendations for brands: TikTok is approaching mass reach territory, which could justify reallocating dollars from linear TV or even search. In fact, 49% of US consumers use TikTok as a search engine, per Adobe.

• Develop platform-specific strategies for TikTok that reflect its fast-moving, creator-driven dynamic and focus on discovery.
• Set up streamlined workflows for content production and distribution to keep up with trend cycles and avoid approval delays.
• Treat it as a primary channel alongside other core media investments.

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