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New Delhi: The Reuters Institute’s recently released report, “Understanding Young News Audiences at a Time of Rapid Change,” looks into how young people, aged between 18-24, are shifting away from traditional sources of news consumption, like television, print or news websites, to more audio-visual-heavy, social-first modes of information. 

Drawing on a range of qualitative and quantitative data collected as a part of Reuters’ Digital News Report research from 2013 to 2025, the report provides an overview of how young audiences are redefining the habits, preferences, and expectations surrounding news consumption and engagement. The report is authored by Dr Craig T. Robertson, Dr Amy Ross Arguedas, Mitali Mukherjee and Dr Richard Fletcher.

Growing up as a generation deeply immersed in digital media, the findings reflect that news increasingly competes with algorithm-driven feeds and short-form entertainment content for the fleeting attention span of young audiences, to the extent that most news consumption is incidental rather than intentional. 

The study notes, “Just 14% of 18–24s say their main way of accessing news is by going directly to a news website or app in 2025, far less than say via social media (40%) or search engines (26%).” These statistics have starkly shifted over the past decade, with only 21% of 18-24-year-olds reporting social media as their primary source of news in 2015, a number that has risen to 39% in 2025, overtaking news websites and apps. 

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This fundamental shift from an “online-first” to a “social-first” approach has far-reaching implications, not only for the future of the journalism industry but also for the vitality of democratic societies, wherein less and less young people deliberately take interest in political developments and current affairs. 

The data suggests that most young audiences stumble across news while scrolling for entertainment content. As a result, young people lack a sense of loyalty towards particular brands, and are less likely to remember the names of news outlets they consume, much less pay for their content. Furthermore, the proportion of 18-24s who access news on a daily basis has fallen by 15pp since 2017, a considerable shift compared to a mere 5pp drop among people aged above 55.

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The report challenges the simplistic narrative of disengagement and presents a more comprehensive perspective on the altering patterns of news consumption and engagement by younger audiences. 

The research states that 31% of 18-24s say that their age group is not reported sufficiently in news coverage, with young women being more susceptible to these perceptions as compared to young men. The historical imbalance in news reportage, stemming from gender biases, contributes to the alienation and representation gap experienced by young women. 

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The research say that attitudes adopted by different demographics are not diverging but simply varying in degree. About 37% of young people say they trust the news most of the time, only 9pp lower than people 55 and above. While views of impartiality and fairness are largely aligned across age brackets, young audiences (32%) are more likely to believe that it does not make sense for news outlets to be neutral on social justice issues like climate change and racism, or topics deemed hateful or harmful. 

The report also highlights a degree of disaffection from conventional news felt by young audiences. Many perceive news as overly negative, difficult to follow, or irrelevant to their lives. 21% of 18-24s report that they avoid news as it seems irrelevant to them. Meanwhile, 15% experience difficulty in understanding, subsequently distancing themselves from news coverage. 

Additionally, young audiences’ preferences tilt towards more engaging, emotionally resonant, and accessible content. The study reveals that young age groups are less inclined towards political news, instead opting for the so-called “fun news.” This reflects a desire for content that is not merely informative but also uplifting and relatable. 

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The study’s one of the most central insights is the rise of audiovisual content. It notes, “32% of 18–24s prefer watching news online, compared with 25% of 55 and overs. This has changed over the years, with audio and video preferences on the rise – especially in African, Latin American, and South-East Asian markets.”

Platforms such as Instagram (30%), Tik Tok (22%), and YouTube (23%), alongside video-based podcasts (59% of  18-24s), are at the heart of this shift, with short-from video content becoming a dominant mode of engagement. The eminence conferred on personality-led content, and the growing influence of independent creators, points towards the demand for content that feels more authentic and relatable. It emphasises the importance of voice, identity, accessibility, and trust in shaping news consumption among younger audiences. 

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18-24-year-olds are also at the forefront of accepting and adapting to emerging technologies such as AI. “Almost a third of 18–24s (30%) are comfortable with news being made mostly by AI, while 43% are comfortable with news being made with AI assistance. Comparatively, just 13% of 55 and over are comfortable with AI-led news and 30% are comfortable with AI-assisted news,” the research reports. 

The report argues that the challenge is not that young audiences have lost interest in current developments, but that the journalism industry is yet to fully adapt to the way they engage with news consumption. 

© The Wire