Gen Z Finds News Mostly While Scrolling

Most of Gen Z isn’t actively seeking out news. In fact, 65% say they stumble upon it while mindlessly scrolling through social media or watching videos online.

'Bridging the Gap: Reimagining News for Gen Z,'

a new study by Google and Kantar, surveyed over 4,000 Indians aged 15-28 across cities and languages. It paints a clear picture of how India’s youngest internet users engage with the news and how newsrooms will need to evolve to keep up.

The passive consumer, actively connected

This generation — 86 million strong in urban India — doesn’t want traditional news formats. Instead, they prefer content that feels emotionally relatable, visually engaging, and easy to consume. That means short videos, explainers, recaps, and content that

uses local languages or memes to make a point.

“This generation isn’t just consuming news, they’re curating their own experience of it,” said Biswapriya Bhattacharjee of Kantar. “They expect news to be credible, but also emotionally resonant, visually engaging, and deeply relevant to their everyday lives.”

Feeds over front pages

Social media (91%) and video platforms (88%) are Gen Z’s top sources of news, according to the report. Their feeds are a hybrid of institutional news brands, civic and niche creators, and meme pages — each

vying for attention in formats Gen Z prefers: Immersive, visual, and relatable.

While more Gen Z respondents follow creators (48%) than traditional news organisations (43%), trust still leans toward the latter. Institutions were found to command 47% trust, compared to 38-39% for civic and niche creators.

News in the language of emotion and ease

Language use is format-driven: Gen Z prefers English for reading (42%), but turns to local languages for video (56%) and audio (57%). The reasons are pragmatic — local languages are

easier to understand (62%), share (62%), and connect with emotionally (55%).

Implications for newsrooms

The report offers a playbook for newsrooms looking to engage Gen Z more effectively. It suggests that publishers should treat social media and video platforms as primary destinations for news, not just channels for distribution. The tone of storytelling should evolve too — borrowing the approachability and visual flair of content creators while still maintaining journalistic standards.

Content

should be framed through a 'what’s in it for me' lens, helping young audiences navigate topics like jobs, money, safety, and education. Most importantly, trust must be designed into every aspect of the product by embedding sources, clearly fact-checking, and steering clear of clickbait or sensationalism.

Durga Raghunath, Head of News Partnerships, Google India, summed it up: “To genuinely connect with this audience, it is critical to adapt storytelling and formats to be native to their digital lives… and build trust for the long

term.”

This is the third Google-Kantar study tracking India’s evolving news consumer.

Also Read: When it comes to money, Indians trust creators more than celebs: Report