Social media becomes world’s leading news source, report warns
Summary
A new report from the Reuters Institute shows that in 2026, more people worldwide get their news from social media and video platforms than from traditional sources like TV, newspapers, or radio. Younger audiences, especially people aged 18-24, mostly use these new platforms, which challenges old media companies' ways of making money.Key Facts
- In 2026, 54% of people worldwide said they got news from social media or video platforms, more than traditional news sources.
- Including AI chatbots like ChatGPT raises this number to 56%.
- Traditional TV news was used by 52% of people, newspaper apps or websites by 51%, and radio by 21%.
- Younger people (18-24 years old) rely on social media or video platforms for news twice as much as older age groups.
- People mainly visit platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube to find news, while on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, news is often found by accident.
- Traditional media apps and websites are no longer the first choice for news for any age group under 55.
- Only 17% of those surveyed pay for news online, making it hard for media companies to earn money.
- Big companies like Google and Meta take a large share of online advertising money, which used to go to traditional news media.
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