AI Chatbots and Social Media Overtake TV as Top News Sources, Reuters Report Finds

A significant shift in global news consumption habits is underway, according to the 2025 Digital News Report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

The report, which surveyed more than 94,000 online news users across 47 countries, documents a rapid acceleration away from traditional television and legacy news brands in favor of digital, platform-based channels.

Social media platforms, and to a lesser but rapidly growing extent, AI-powered chatbots, are now the primary gateways for news among large sections of the population, particularly younger audiences.

Social Media Surpasses Television as a News Source

The report marks a pivotal milestone in the United States, where, for the first time, a greater proportion of people now cite social media as their main source of news (54 percent) than television (50 percent). This trend is most pronounced among those under 35, but is spreading across other age groups as well. Video-centric platforms—most notably YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram—dominate news consumption among younger users, providing not only access to news clips and summaries but also context, commentary, and live reactions.

This trend is mirrored internationally. In Australia, social media is now ahead of traditional online news sources (26 percent versus 23 percent), even though television still remains the largest single news format at 37 percent. These figures illustrate the global fragmentation of news audiences and a shift in influence from legacy newsrooms to digital-native platforms and creators.

AI Chatbots Rapidly Gaining Ground

Although still a relatively small part of the overall news ecosystem, AI chatbots are emerging as an important new access point for news, particularly among younger demographics. The report finds that seven percent of respondents worldwide used an AI chatbot, such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Meta AI, for news in the past week. Among 18–24-year-olds, that figure rises to fifteen percent, and to twelve percent among those aged 18–34.

ChatGPT leads among these tools, accounting for four percent of weekly news access, while Gemini and Meta AI stand at two percent each. Claude and Microsoft Copilot register about one percent. Regional differences are significant: in India, chatbot news usage has already reached 18 percent, compared to just three percent in the UK and similarly low levels in Germany and Japan. While AI chatbots have not yet eclipsed social media or television overall, their growth trajectory suggests they may play an increasingly important role in how the next generation encounters news and current events.

Erosion of Trust and the Return of News Avoidance

The technological transformation of the news landscape comes at a time when public trust in news remains stubbornly low. The Reuters Institute reports that global trust in news remains fixed at around 40 percent, unchanged for three consecutive years and down four points from a pandemic-era peak. The challenges are particularly acute in several Western democracies, where trust is markedly lower than in much of Asia.

Equally troubling is the phenomenon of news avoidance, which has returned to its record high: forty percent of people globally say they sometimes or often actively avoid the news. In the United Kingdom, the avoidance rate is 46 percent, and in countries such as Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece, it exceeds 60 percent. Among the main reasons cited are negative impacts on mood, information overload, and fatigue caused by relentless coverage of wars and political disputes.

AI Summaries and Search Disrupt Traffic to News Publishers

Another key trend identified in the report is the impact of AI summary features, most notably Google’s AI Overviews, which answer user queries directly in search results. Early data indicates that these new tools are reducing website clicks by 30 to 55 percent for some publishers, even as impressions and online visibility increase. Traditional referral traffic pipelines are being disrupted as search engines, social platforms, and even chatbots increasingly keep users within their own ecosystems.

This is putting significant economic pressure on news organizations, especially those that rely heavily on online advertising and traffic-based business models. Major newsrooms are now confronted with the urgent need to rethink both their distribution strategies and monetization approaches, including increased focus on direct subscriptions, events, niche membership models, and partnerships with creators.

The Rise of Independent Creators and Influencers

The 2025 Digital News Report also documents the rise of independent creators and influencers as key players in the news ecosystem. In the United States, for example, Joe Rogan’s podcast alone reached 22 percent of adults during the survey week, rivaling or even surpassing the audience of several legacy news organizations. This shift toward a creator-first media environment, in combination with the influence of social media platforms and AI chatbots, is fragmenting audiences and challenging the traditional gatekeeping role of established news brands.

Creators and influencers, many of whom operate outside the formal boundaries of journalism, are now competing directly with major newsrooms for attention and credibility. Their growing reach underscores the need for legacy media to experiment with new storytelling formats and distribution models while maintaining transparency and ethical standards.

Implications for the Future of News

The findings of the 2025 Digital News Report point to a profound and accelerating transformation in global news consumption. As social platforms and AI chatbots become core gateways to news, and as audiences grow more fragmented and harder to reach, traditional media organizations must rapidly adapt their editorial, product, and business strategies. This includes integrating transparent AI features, embracing short-form video, and addressing growing news fatigue through smarter notification systems and more mindful curation.

Meanwhile, the continuing decline in trust and the rise in news avoidance highlight an urgent need for newsrooms to rebuild credibility, prioritize well-being, and develop more direct relationships with their audiences. The pressure from AI summary tools and shifting referral traffic only heightens the imperative for innovation.

The new era of news is being shaped not by a single dominant medium, but by a polycentric landscape that blends legacy brands, AI chatbots, platform-native influencers, and constantly evolving social media ecosystems. The organizations that succeed will be those that move quickly, act transparently, and are willing to meet audiences wherever they are—across platforms, formats, and generations.

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