Young audiences are redefining how they consume news, new Reuters report argues
Young people are still consuming news, but they are doing it on very different terms. That is the central finding of a new Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism report on 18- to 24-year-olds.
The report – ‘Understanding Young News Audiences at a Time of Rapid Change’ – brings together over a decade of qualitative and quantitative research reports and datasets, in particular RISJ’s Digital News Report research from 2013 to 2025.
And it argues that the biggest shift for young people over the past decade is not a retreat from news altogether, but a move away from news websites and toward social media, video platforms, creators, and AI tools.
It says young audiences are now clearly “social-first” rather than “online-first.” Social media has overtaken news apps and websites as their main gateway to news, while TikTok, Instagram and YouTube have become the dominant platforms.
Young people also say they pay more attention to individual creators than to traditional news brands, and are far more likely than older groups to watch or listen to news rather than read it.
But the report also finds a more complicated picture than the familiar story of young people “not caring” about news. Many do care — they just want it in a form that feels more relevant, easier to understand and less gloomy. Around 42% of 18–24s say they sometimes or often avoid the news, mainly because it feels depressing, irrelevant or hard to follow. Interest in news is lower too: just 35% say they are highly interested, compared with 52% of over-55s.
The study also shows that younger audiences are more open to news explained by AI and more comfortable using chatbots to simplify stories, check sources or get quick summaries. About 15% of 18–24s say they used AI to access news in the past week, far above older age groups.
The report’s bottom line for publishers is blunt: winning young audiences will not be about nostalgia for old habits, but about meeting them where they are — on social platforms, in short-form video, through personality-led formats, and with news that feels useful, understandable and worth their time.
The report was written by Dr Craig T Robertson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at RISJ; Dr Amy Ross Arguedas, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at RISJ; Mitali Mukherjee, RISJ Director; and Dr Richard Fletcher, RISJ Director of Research and Deputy Director.
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is dedicated to exploring the future of journalism worldwide.
