TikTok continues to dominate the social media landscape, according to a recent poll.
The Pew Research Center issued its latest poll on social media use on Thursday, finding that the number of respondents who used TikTok increased by 16% this year compared to 2021. A total of 37% of the 5,022 respondents reported being on TikTok.
Young adults under 30 years old comprised the largest generational group of TikTok users, accounting for 63% of the platform’s users. TikTok also reported a large number of black and Hispanic users, with 53% and 57% of respondents identifying as black and Hispanic, respectively, reporting they’re on the platform. Users were divided pretty evenly between different ranges of household income, education levels, and political leanings.
The majority of respondents, 84%, reported using YouTube. Facebook came in second, with 71% of respondents reporting use of the platform. Both platforms’ parent companies, Google and Meta, maintain cordial ties with President Donald and attended Trump’s inauguration.
Meanwhile, TikTok is under pressure from the Trump administration to divest its Chinese-based ownership, a campaign to force the sale of the platform that began under President Joe Biden.
TikTok didn’t pursue divestiture when then-President Biden signed the ban into law, instead opting to challenge the ban legally. However, the Supreme Court ruled the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act did not violate the platform’s First Amendment rights.
Trump has long touted his “good experience” with TikTok, having joined the platform during his 2024 campaign. Less than a week after joining, Trump promised he would “never ban TikTok.” Since then, the president-elect has garnered over 15.7 million followers.
A FIFTH OF US ADULTS GET THEIR NEWS FROM TIKTOK: POLL
Last month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that China had reached a deal on the sale of TikTok.
Trump’s latest executive order extends the TikTok ban until Dec. 16. This ban would no longer be in effect if the platform is sold to a U.S.-based buyer, bringing it into compliance with federal law.
