Hillary Clinton Blames TikTok ‘Propaganda’ For Young People’s Views On Israel

Hillary Clinton believes misinformation on social media has shaped young people’s views on Israel and Palestine in a dangerous way.

While speaking at a summit hosted by the right-wing Israeli paper, Israel Hayom, in New York City on Tuesday, the former secretary of state said she was concerned about the fact that “smart, well-educated young people” are now overwhelmingly getting their news on platforms like TikTok, calling the trend a “serious problem” for democracy.

“A lot of the challenge is with younger people. More than 50% of young people in America get their news from social media. So just pause on that for a second,” she told the audience.

Zeroing in on many social platforms problems with misinformation and fact-checking, she said, “They are seeing short-form videos, some of them totally made up, some of them not at all representing what they claim to be showing, and that’s where they get their information.”

Hillary Clinton, here at Georgetown University on Dec. 2, 2025, expressed concern about where young people are getting their news during an event hosted by the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom on Tuesday.

Alex Wong via Getty Images

The politician said that she was particularly concerned when it came to how people are getting news about the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

“That is where they were learning about what happened on Oct. 7, what happened in the days, weeks and months to follow,” she said of Hamas’ 2023 surprise attacks on Israel. “It’s a serious problem for democracy, whether it’s Israel or the United States, and it’s a serious problem for our young people.”

Clinton went on to say it was “shocking” to learn how little her Columbia University students knew about the “history” behind the occupation.

As she explained, “When you would try to talk to them to engage in some kind of reasonable discussion, it was very difficult because they did not know history. They had very little context. And what they were being told on social media was not just one-sided, it was pure propaganda.”

The former Democratic presidential candidate added how criticism of Israel was not just coming from what she called “the usual suspects” and claimed that “a lot of young Jewish Americans” don’t “understand” the historical context of the conflict.

While it’s hard to parse out the impact of misinformation on public sentiment, Americans’ opinion on Israel has shown a marked shift since the nation escalated its attacks on Gaza in retaliation for the Oct. 7 attacks.