2025
9
UK Social Media: News Market Report 2025
2025-11-20T02:01:07+00:00
REP0ED32C7E_68E8_49A2_B9B4_27D8D54A40AC
2195
188757
[{"name":"Social Media","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/industries\/media\/social-media"},{"name":"Market Intelligence Reports","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/report-type\/market-intelligence-reports"},{"name":"UK","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/markets\/uk-market-research"}]
Report
en_GB
AI is shaping the way news is consumed. Young people are prioritising speed and personalisation over depth, reducing the need to read through full articles. 55% of 16-34 year olds…
UK
Social Media
simple

UK Social Media: News Market Report 2025

"Younger audiences are more likely to trust journalists who share their personal views on social media, aligning with their preference for personality-driven content."

Nikita Shergill, Technology and Media Analyst

Nikita Shergill, Technology and Media Analyst

UK Social Media Industry and News Consumption – Trends and Insights

  • AI is shaping the way news is consumed. Young people are prioritising speed and personalisation over depth, reducing the need to read through full articles. 55% of 16-34 year olds who keep up with the news on social media have used a social media AI chatbot to summarise a news article.
  • Journalists need to write articles that can be easily readable by AI chatbots or risk being misinterpreted, or overlooked, diminishing impact. To ensure the journalist’s distinct voice remains integral to AI-generated summaries, articles must incorporate quotable, authoritative statements that reflect their expertise and unique perspective.
  • Personality-driven news content will grow. Younger audiences are less trusting of mainstream news organisation agendas, and turn to personalities who maintain they don’t hold back the truth. They value personalities who speak openly and share their opinions, and expect journalists to do the same on their personal social media accounts.
  • Despite high-profile publishers and journalists leaving X, the platform has the most engaged news readers. Bluesky and Threads have yet to capture a large portion of the market, meaning X remains a major news source for real-time updates. News outlets that fail to prioritise X in their media strategy are neglecting a significantly engaged audience.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • The impact of news influencers in understanding the news, including how personality driven news content draws attention away from traditional sources
  • Types of news topics clicked on, and how social media is shaping generational divides in topic engagement
  • Reasons for ignoring news articles found on social media, with comment sections becoming the new information source
  • Social media platforms used to find information about a breaking news story, and why X should be a priority for news outlets
  • How AI is shaping news consumption and the value of distinct journalistic voices
  • How journalists should engage with their followers, including expectations of expressing personal views

Mintel Reports You May Also Be Interested In:

Collapse All
  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for news on social media
    • Opportunities
    • Use the comment section to combat misinformation
    • Promote the value of human journalists in the age of AI
    • Prioritise X for sport and global news stories
  2. THE MARKET

    • Facebook leads overall usage, but YouTube is most popular among younger age groups
    • Graph 1: use of social media platforms in the last month, 2025
    • AI is shaping how consumers engage with news
    • AI will personalise news consumption
    • Graph 2: number of ChatGPT customers among Snoop users, 2023-25
    • Governments may push tech companies to compensate publisher revenues
    • Ad-free social media subscriptions will boost organic news consumption
  3. THE CONSUMER

    • Impact of news influencers in understanding the news
    • Infotainment is shaping news consumption
    • Engage younger audiences with conversational news on social media
    • Social media news clicks
    • Social media leads news search
    • Prioritise lifestyle news on social media for high engagement
    • Graph 3: news links clicked on social media daily, by theme by 16-34s, 2025
    • Engage news avoiders by highlighting hope and opportunity
    • British politics grabs older readers’ attention on social media
    • Graph 4: news links clicked on social media daily, by theme by 55+, 2025
    • Interest in health and wellness news is set to grow
    • Graph 5: health and wellness news links clicked on social media once a week or more, 2025
    • Reasons for not reading articles found on social media
    • Short attention spans have conditioned people to consume bite-sized news content
    • Bite-sized content will help decide if a news story is worth more attention
    • News headlines and  comments provide all the information needed
    • Ensure the comment section is a reliable source of information
    • The social media platform for breaking news
    • No single platform will dominate the future of news consumption
    • Graph 6: social media platform most likely used to find information about a breaking news story, by generation, 2025
    • Social media fact-checkers are in the comments
    • Posting news content is not enough, journalists must engage in the comments
    • Publishers should continue to prioritise X
    • Graph 7: proportion clicking on links to sports news articles found on social media platforms daily in the last month, 2025
    • Graph 8: proportion clicking on links to global politics articles found on social media platforms daily in the last month, 2025
    • X is still a widely used news source despite some users and publishers turning away from the platform
    • Graph 9: users who have kept up with the news on social media, by posting a comment on a news story in the last month. 2025
    • AI and news personalisation
    • The normalisation of AI-narrated news will elevate the value of distinct journalistic voices
    • Reinforce the value of human journalism
    • Write news articles to be AI ready
    • Online immediacy culture fuels demand for instant news
    • AI can create more personalised news content
    • Engaging with followers
    • Followers want more direct engagement from journalists
    • Journalists need to act like expert influencers on social media
  4. INNOVATION AND MARKETING

    • X adds new features to boost sport engagement on the platform
    • X introduces AI bots to support fact-checking
    • Meta AI prompts offer quick answers to news stories
    • Reddit is making the platform friendlier to publishers
    • TikTok launches its own version of Community Notes called Footnotes
  5. APPENDIX

    • Market definition
    • The consumer
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology
    • Other data source methodologies
    • Snoop SpendMapper methodology
    • Abbreviations

Mintel: Market Intelligence Made Easier

The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:

  • Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
  • Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
  • Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
  • Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.

What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?

Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.

The Four Pillars of Our Research

We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:

  • Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
  • Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
  • Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
  • Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.

Bringing It All Together

Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.

Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.

For a closer look at a Mintel Market Intelligence Report, take a look at the sample PDF report below:
Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
£ 2,195 (Excl.Tax)
  • Download today with instant access
  • Multiple formats provided
  • Interactive databook included
  • Save 10% on all orders with the code INSIGHTS2026
Add to cart

Next Starts Here

Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.

Learn more

Trusted by global industry leaders

Bauer Media Group logo

We have such a great working relationship with Mintel on lots of different levels. As an insight partner, they have helped us to develop our business planning in specific categories as well as supporting our creative process but they’ve also been super helpful with facilitating our events in their inspirational offices near St Paul’s.

They’re an innovative company, with a client-focused team that always delivers.

Abby Carvosso, Group Managing Director, Bauer Media Group
Jackman logo

At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.

Alana Gavin, VP Research and Insights, Jackman
Wincanton logo

When I’m investigating specific sectors I tend to use Mintel reports for their forecasting, which I’ve always found to be very accurate.

They also offer really broad and deep coverage in their reports. They are very, very detailed. For example, we were able to gain insight across a wide range of business areas from just one report, proving that Mintel is excellent value for money.

So overall, it’s the level of detail and the quality of forecasting that really stand out for me.

Rebecca Green, Market Insight Manager, Wincanton
Abacus logo

There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.

However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.

Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
Deutsch logo

One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.

We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.

We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.

Jeff White, Business Development Director, Deutsch

Next Starts Here

Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.

Learn more