By Rieke Smit, editor on duty of Social News Daily/ #UseTheNews

Our special guest is a young journalist, Rieke Smit from #UseTheNews, an initiative by the German news agency DPA that focuses on the news consumption of Generation Z and strives to improve their media literacy. With figures showing that less than a third of 18 to 24 year olds are interested in news and that 23% get their news exclusively from TikTok, Rieke writes about how to reach Generation Z not only on TikTok but also on other social media platforms – and to get them interested in important news that directly affects their lives.

We are losing a generation — at least this is how it seems. We are not reaching Gen Z with news anymore. Less than one third of 18 to 24 year olds are interested in news. Under the age of 18, the percentage is even higher. 

This phenomenon in general is not new. By now, everyone has heard of news fatigue and news avoidance. Added to this is the increasing importance of influencers and platforms that offer short videos, especially among young people, as confirmed by the latest Digital News Report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. 

Young people are decreasingly consuming news because they struggle to find trustworthy news on platforms like TikTok, but also because they don’t know what the news has to do with their life. This point was made in one of our #UseTheNews studies by a 16-year-old girl, and puts the alarming trend into perspective. The big question is: How can we reach the TikTok generation? 

First, we need to be on the platforms they are on anyway — with news, perspectives and background information. Next, we need to demonstrate to young people why staying informed is so important for their lives. At the same time, as if by chance, by doing so we strengthen their media literacy. 

That is also the aim of the #UseTheNews initiative and the Social News Daily editorial team, who made this year 'The Year of News' to strengthen society and democracy with increased news literacy, especially among teenagers and young adults. 

Social News Daily tackles this with news on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. News on social media? How does that work? By using the methods that creators understood long before we did: you can be putting on your make-up, cooking or going for a walk and still be talking about serious topics. That's exactly what we do at SND — but with news. 

Adapting to the viewing habits of consumers — that is what we are experimenting with. All while breaking down huge topics into 40-second videos and the question of why this is important for a 16-year-old person today. 

Additionally, we use clickbait — while keeping journalistic standards in mind. Why? Because on TikTok, you have only two seconds to get someone's attention. If your video is not captivating enough in these few moments, nobody will watch it. So, we use a provocative question or an unusual fact in the beginning — catching viewers' attention with clickbait — but still give the answers at the end of the video. People are staying and incidentally consuming journalistic content. Is that all there is to it?

Is it enough to be a media outlet on social media? The short answer is no. There need to be more touchpoints between young people and journalists. To strengthen trust in the media and to make journalism transparent. For example, encouraging teachers to promote media competencies in school or intensifying contact between classrooms and editorial offices, like we are doing in our #UseTheNews 'Model projects' and 'Newscamps'. 

Because only if we are where young people are, in schools, at festivals, on social media and if we get into conversations with them about fake news, media and their meaning. In this case there is a chance to reach Gen Z with news again. 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@social.news.daily 

UsetheNews Kanal: https://www.instagram.com/usethenews2024/?hl=de 

As editor on duty, Rieke keeps track of the day-to-day editorial work at Social News Daily (SND). She has been on board at #UseTheNews in various roles since 2021 and is now responsible for planning, coordinating and approving SND contributions. After completing her Bachelor's and Master's degrees with a focus on journalism and humanitarian aid, she completed a traineeship at the FUNKE Zentralredaktion.

#UseTheNews (UTN), an initiative by the German news agency DPA, gets to the bottom of young people's media competencies. With the help of the Leibniz Institute for media research, innovative news formats are developed in a news literacy lab and at the social news desk. Alongside this, UTN provides teachers with workshops and materials. The project is supported by many partners from the media, education and research, with a board of trustees made up of well-known personalities from the media and politics.