Social media overtakes traditional outlets as top news source globally for first time

A global shift in news consumption

For the first time, social media and video platforms have become the world's primary source of news, surpassing television, newspaper websites, and radio, according to the annual Digital News Report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, published on Tuesday. The survey, conducted by YouGov among nearly 100,000 people across 48 countries, found that 54% of respondents used social media and video platforms for news in the week before the survey. When including AI conversational agents like ChatGPT, the figure rises to 56%. Lead author Jim Egan described the moment as gradual rather than sudden, stressing that the trend has been building for years.

2026 marks an important milestone: for the first time, social media and video platforms have overtaken other news sources and become the primary way to get informed worldwide.

Survey methodology and key figures

The Reuters Institute's annual report is a benchmark for understanding digital news consumption. This year's data, collected in early 2026, reveals a landscape where traditional media still hold significant ground but are losing their audience edge. Television was used by 52% of respondents for news, down from a dominant position in previous years, while newspaper websites and apps reached 51%. Radio lagged behind at 21%.

The shift is most pronounced when platforms are examined individually. Social media and video platforms are the main source of news for three in ten respondents globally, though in Europe, newspaper sites and apps still maintain a lead in several countries. The report notes that this is the first time the aggregated category of social and video platforms has come out on top across all surveyed markets.

Generational divide

The age split is stark. More than half of 18-to-24-year-olds now rely on social media and video platforms as their primary news source, far outpacing older demographics. This younger audience gravitates toward TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram for bite-sized, visually driven updates, while Facebook remains more popular among older users. Egan noted that this evolution has been underway for years, with individual countries already showing platform dominance in earlier surveys.

It should be seen as a gradual evolution rather than a brutal change.

Implications for traditional media

The findings intensify the economic pressure on legacy news organizations. As audiences migrate to algorithm-driven feeds, advertising revenue continues to shift toward tech giants, challenging the business models of newspapers and broadcasters. The report arrives amid rising concerns about misinformation, content moderation, and the role of AI in shaping news consumption. With 56% of respondents now including AI chatbots like ChatGPT in their news diet, the report suggests that the information ecosystem is fragmenting further, making it harder for quality journalism to compete with peer-to-peer sharing and algorithmic curation.

The data covers a period of intense global news activity, from geopolitical tensions to climate events, providing a timely snapshot of how the public now stays informed. The Reuters Institute's work, based at the University of Oxford, highlights the urgency for media leaders to adapt to a world where the smartphone screen and social feed have become the default entry point to the day's events.