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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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