November 26, 2015 - 10:31 AMT
Young people trust YouTube more than Wikipedia: research

YouTube has taken over from Wikipedia as the place young people turn to for their information, Digital Spy reports.

According to new research, children between the ages of 12-15 have abandoned the online encyclopaedia in favour of their favourite vloggers, as YouTubers from Zoella to PewDiePie become international stars.

For discovering what serious things are going on in the world, 8% of young people turn to YouTube compared to just 2% to Wikipedia, which has increased significantly from 2014.

Last year, just 3% used YouTube for that purpose and 6% used Wikipedia, though the BBC is the most used website for this sort of news, with 52% logging on.

To look for hobbies and interests, a massive 35% of the 12-15 age group use YouTube, rather than just 3% who consult Wikipedia. This has again increased from 26% in 2014.

For making and creating things, most young people turn to their favourite YouTubers to get guides - 44% compared to just 4% who use Wikipedia.

Again, these figures have considerably changed from 2014, where 33% logged into YouTube and 6% Wikipedia.