This is how people in 2025 are getting their news

How do people today stay informed about what’s happening in the world? In most countries, TV, print and websites are becoming less popular, according to a report from the Reuters Institute.

The 2025 Digital News Report, which distills data from six continents and 48 markets, finds that these traditional news media sources are struggling to connect with the public, with declining engagement, low trust and stagnating subscriptions.

So where are people getting their news in 2025? And what might be the impact of these shifts?

Amid political and economic uncertainty, the climate crisis and ongoing conflicts around the world, there is certainly no lack of stories to report on. But audiences are continuing to go to new places to find them – namely, social media, video platforms and online aggregators.

Social media use for news is rising across many countries, although this is more pronounced in the United States, Latin America, Africa and some Southeast Asian countries. In the US, for example, the proportion of people that say social media is their main source of news has risen significantly in the past decade, from around 4% in 2015 to 34% in 2025. The proportion of people accessing news via social media and video networks in the US overtook both TV news and news websites for the first time.

In many European countries, traditional news sources have been more resilient but social media use for news is still rising. In the UK and France, for example, about a fifth of people in each country now use social media as their primary news source compared to well below 10% a decade ago.

Across all of the markets studied by the report, the proportion consuming video continues to grow. And dependence on social media and video networks for news is highest with younger groups – 44% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 38% of 25- to 34-year-olds say these are their main sources of news.

The report highlights two emerging themes. The first is the use of what it calls an “alternative media ecosystem”, in which people are increasingly getting their news from podcasters and creators on networks such as YouTube and TikTok – which is the fastest-growing social and video network.

In some countries, personalities and influencers now have a key role in shaping public debates. For example, in the US, news and commentary from podcaster Joe Rogan is reaching a fifth of people. In France, 22% of under-35s are seeing content from news creator Hugo Travers, mainly via YouTube and TikTok.

Young influencers are also playing a significant role in many Asian countries, the report says.

The second emerging theme highlighted by the report is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots as a news source as search engines and other platforms begin to integrate real-time news into their products. With 7% of people getting news this way each week, the numbers are currently small, although this rises to 15% among under-25s.

Overall trust in news remains stable at 40%, according to the report. But across countries, audiences are concerned about the impact of the shifts in how we consume news.

While being optimistic about some of the benefits of AI for news, such as its ability to summarize or translate content, people remain sceptical about its use, expecting that it will make reports less transparent, accurate and trustworthy. Many are also worried about missing out on important stories.

Online influencers and personalities, meanwhile, are also seen as presenting a threat of false or misleading information. This chimes with the findings of the World Economic Forum’s most recent Global Risks Report, which identified misinformation and disinformation as the most pressing risks over the next two years.

More than half of people surveyed for the Reuters report said they are worried about what is real and fake in online news. Trusted news brands are the most frequent place people go when they want to check if a story is real or false.

According to the Forum’s Global Risks Report, rising use of digital platforms and a growing volume of AI-generated content are making divisive misinformation and disinformation more common. This contributes to amplifying other risks facing the world, from state-based armed conflict to extreme weather events.

Ultimately, the report says, this is making it increasingly hard to know where to turn for true information.

It recommends governments, business and civil society organizations develop awareness programmes and digital literacy initiatives to educate citizens about the risks associated with digital spaces and help them identify and challenge harmful or biased content.

Improving accountability and transparency frameworks for AI will also form part of the solution.