British adults are now less active on social media, according to Ofcom, with just half of users actively posting, and fewer now believe the benefits outweigh the risks of being online.
The UK’s telecoms regulator examined the media use and attitudes of a sample of adults, and found that the proportion who actively post, share, or comment on social media fell to 49 percent from 61 percent in 2024.
The remainder tend to simply “like” things that others have posted, or read things without interacting much.
Along with the finding that fewer adults are exploring the web and engaging with new websites, Ofcom says this indicates that users are becoming more passive and disengaged.
Potential reasons behind this shift in behavior include the possibility that people are taking a more “one-stop shop” approach online and using applications such as generative AI chatbots for various purposes like work, learning, and getting recommendations.
But nine out of ten internet users are still using at least one social media platform, rising to 97 percent among those aged 16 to 34. Messaging and calling remain the most common activities, although younger adults are far more likely to watch videos than older people.
Only 59 percent of respondents now believe that the benefits of being outweigh the risks, down from 72 percent last year. Just 36 percent of social media users say these services are good for their mental health, and 67 percent report spending too long online most days.
Trust in online information is mixed, with 85 percent indicating they use “mainstream” media for news, but only 19 percent always trust it, while a similar proportion (21 percent) always question its accuracy, according to Ofcom.
Perhaps the least surprising finding is that more than half of social media users say they have seen false or misleading news during the past year. To gauge the accuracy of news, 43 percent compare information with other sources, while a similar proportion say they check with the original source. About 40 percent check the comments section for indications of credibility, suggesting other users’ reactions may shape trust in a post or article.
As for online AI tools, 54 percent of adults now use them, compared with 31 percent last year. Three-quarters say they read AI-generated search summaries at least sometimes, but 57 percent of respondents say they trust AI-generated content less than that produced by humans.
Ofcom also found that 6 percent of all adults still do not have any form of internet access at home. This offline group is disproportionately older, with 83 percent of them aged 65 or above. At the same time, 19 percent of adults only access the internet via their smartphone.
Ofcom’s Adults’ Media Use and Attitudes Report [PDF] draws its data from a Media Literacy Tracker survey, completed by 7,533 adults aged 16 or over between September and November last year. ®