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A study tracking media consumption habits across four generational cohorts in twelve countries has found that reliance on social media platforms as a primary news source has continued to rise, even as trust in those same platforms has declined. Researchers surveyed roughly 22,000 adults over a three-year period, asking not only where they obtained news but also how much confidence they placed in the accuracy of that information. Among respondents aged 18 to 24, nearly 60 percent named a social media platform as their main news source, compared with just under 20 percent among those aged 55 and older. Yet when asked to rate their trust in social media as a news source on a five-point scale, younger respondents gave notably lower average scores than they had in a similar survey conducted five years earlier, suggesting an awareness of unreliability that has not translated into reduced usage. The researchers propose several explanations for this apparent contradiction. Convenience appears to be a dominant factor: social platforms deliver news alongside other content respondents were already viewing, lowering the effort required to stay informed relative to seeking out a dedicated news outlet. Algorithmic curation may also play a role, as platforms increasingly surface news content tailored to engagement patterns rather than editorial judgment, which can create a sense of relevance even when accuracy is uncertain. The study's authors caution against interpreting the findings as evidence that traditional journalism is being replaced outright, noting that many respondents reported using social media to discover a story before verifying it through a traditional outlet. Still, the widening gap between usage and trust raises questions for policymakers and platform companies alike about how to support media literacy without discouraging the convenience that appears central to younger users' habits.