Syahril, Syahril; Abadi Lubis, Dhifa Arifan; Darma, Welsa Arya; aziz, Abdul
The rise of digital technology has changed how young people access information, including political issues. TikTok, a short-video platform, has become a popular medium for first-time voters to engage with political content. This study aims to describe their understanding of political content on TikTok and its influence on political literacy. Using a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews of six informants in Pekanbaru, findings show that TikTok has potential as an accessible and engaging political literacy tool. However, most informants lacked critical skills in verifying content accuracy. The study concludes that although TikTok increases youth interest in politics, digital literacy and critical thinking must be improved to prevent misinterpretation of information.