TikTok Usage Effects on Attention to News Reading: An Eye-Tracking Study

ABSTRACT This research examines how the use of the social media TikTok correlates with users’ attention to news reading. In a quasi-experimental laboratory setting, 242 U.S. college-age participants read 10 news and opinion pieces on a computer. Before reading, half of the sample browsed TikTok. Using eye tracking metrics, we found that those who browsed TikTok before reading were less likely to sustain their attention on the articles. Those who reported low news consumption frequency were more likely to pay less attention to news reading after browsing TikTok. Implications for social media use, news familiarity, distraction susceptibility, and reading are discussed.