Research TikTok is the news source of Generation Z

A new study shows that Gen Zers, who seek to stay informed, prefer to have others digest and interpret the daily headlines first.

A study by Google shows that young people trust social media posts from their favorite influencers and the opinions of their audiences in comment sections over traditional sources, Business Insider reports.

The new findings come on the heels of several studies showing that Gen Z and a growing number of older Americans are turning to TikTok as their top source for news.

Researchers at Jigsaw, a Google subsidiary focused on online politics and polarization, conducted a long-term study to examine how Gen Z consumes and interacts with news media.

The study found that while the vast majority of Gen Zers know how to check factual information and recognize fake news, they don't do it themselves. They trust that the people they follow online will uncover any fake news for them. They also don't trust news pages with ads and pop-ups asking for donations or subscriptions.

THEY DON'T LIKE LONG TEXTS

Most young adults noted that they usually only read the headline before going into the comments section to see what people took away from the article and how they reacted, but if they have to scroll for too long, they will skip the comment.

Most Gen Zers are letting influencers digest information and explain it to them, rather than determining whether they trust a source or processing what they should take away from the news.

"Gen Z will have a favorite group of influencers that they outsource their trust to, and they will be incredibly loyal to everything they say," Beth Goldberg, head of research at Jigsaw, told Business Insider.

But Gen Zers aren't lazy, researchers say, they want to hear multiple perspectives and first-person experiences to gauge cultural reactions and avoid exposure to cancel culture.