Social media and video platforms have become the main way people around the world access news, surpassing traditional news organizations’ websites, mobile applications and television channels, according to the Digital News Report 2026 published by the Reuters Institute.
The report, released Tuesday, is based on a survey of nearly 100,000 digital news consumers across 48 global markets. It found that trust in news has fallen to 37%, the lowest level recorded since 2015, with significant declines reported in countries including the Philippines, Ireland, Thailand, Peru and Poland.
The study also identified increased use of artificial intelligence chatbots for following current events, particularly among younger audiences, alongside the continued growth of digital content creators and a shift toward video-based news consumption.
According to the report, social media and video platforms are now the primary source of news for 30% of respondents worldwide, compared with 22% five years ago. The increase was recorded in 22 of the 48 markets analyzed, including countries where these platforms had previously played a smaller role in news consumption.
The report found major changes among younger audiences, with 56% of people aged 18 to 24 saying they have never regularly read a newspaper. Meanwhile, television news and news organizations’ websites and applications have declined among all age groups except people over 55.
Video has become a central part of news consumption habits. The study found that 77% of respondents watch news videos every week through platforms including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
In most of the markets analyzed, news video consumption has now surpassed television as a source of information. Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands were the exceptions, where television remained ahead.
The report also highlighted the growing role of influencers and digital news creators. Around 27% of respondents said they obtain at least some information from these figures, although only 3% rely exclusively on them and 10% consider them their main source of news.
“Audiences face relentless competition for their attention online every day. It should not be surprising that some choose to disconnect, others rely on what reaches them through their social networks, and many are uncertain about what is trustworthy,” said Jim Egan, the lead author of the report.
Egan said audiences continue to value reliable information and maintain trust in familiar news providers. He added that journalism remains important despite increasing challenges in the digital information environment.
The report also examined changing attitudes toward artificial intelligence in news consumption. The use of AI chatbots for accessing news increased to 10% of respondents, up from 7% the previous year. Usage was higher among people under 35, reaching 16%, although only 20% of users said they trusted chatbot responses.
The United States recorded one of the lowest levels of trust in news among the countries analyzed, with 25% of respondents saying they trust most news most of the time. The figure dropped to 15% among respondents identifying with the political right.
Researchers identified a growing contradiction in global news habits: while concerns about misinformation continue to increase, more people are relying on social and video platforms as their primary pathways to information.
The report found that 18% of respondents currently pay for online news, a figure that has remained stable. At the same time, demand for impartial reporting remains strong, with 45% of respondents preferring neutral news coverage compared with 20% who prefer outlets that reflect their own views.
