Research published by Ofcom reveals how people in the UK use, understand and feel about the media and online services they interact with in their daily lives.

Ofcom’s annual Adults’ Media Use and Attitudes and Adults’ Media Lives research reports tracked trends in the nation’s media habits and online behaviours over the last 12 months. The research reveals, among other things, more circumspect relationships with social media; rapid adoption of AI tools; a continuation of online enterprising; and mixed views when it comes to trust in news sources.

Adults less active on social media:

Social media use remains widespread, with nine in 10 adult internet users (89 per cent) using at least one social media platform, rising to 97 per cent among 16–34-year-olds.

The research suggests, however, that social media use is becoming more passive and circumspect. Around half of adult social media users (49 per cent) now actively post, share or comment – down from 61 per cent in 2024 – while the proportion exploring new websites fell from 70 per cent to 56 per cent during the same period.

Participants in Ofcom’s qualitative Media Lives study also expressed being more selective about what and how they post on social media. Some have stopped posting altogether, while others appear to be more mindful of their digital footprint, preferring limited lifespan posts – for example Instagram Stories rather than permanent ‘Grid’ posts. More adults than last year are concerned about their online posts causing them problems in the future (49 per cent vs 43 per cent).

Screentime concerns are widespread:

The proportion of online adults who feel the benefits of being online outweigh the risks fell to 59 per cent, down from 72 per cent last year. Fewer social media users also say that social media platforms are good for their mental health (36 per cent down from 42 per cent).

Screentime concerns are widespread, with two thirds (67 per cent) admitting they sometimes spend too long on their devices, while 40 per cent say this happens most days. Some participants in the qualitative study are adopting particular strategies to take time away from their screens, including setting time limits on their device, deleting apps, and leaving their smartphone behind when leaving the house.

AI adoption accelerates:

More than half (54 per cent) of UK adults now use AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini, particularly driven by uptake among younger adults (79 per cent of 16-24s  and 74 per cent of 25-34s). Around one in eight (12 per cent) AI users said they use these tools for conversational purposes, rising to around one in five 25–34-year-olds (19 per cent).

Some participants in the qualitative study appear to be interacting with AI as if it were a person, often unconsciously. In some cases, they reported using AI to seek relationship breakup advice or to keep them company when working from home. AI is also being used for creative tasks, including room layout planning, wedding speech writing and creating artwork.

Trust in news sources is mixed:

Most adults (85 per cent) say they use mainstream media for news, but trust varies. Around one in five adults (19 per cent) say they always trust it to be accurate, although a similar proportion (21 per cent) always question its accuracy.

This trust divide is also reflected in the qualitative research. While a majority of these participants consider the main broadcast media brands to be the most trustworthy sources for news stories about UK politics or conflict overseas, a few are deeply mistrustful of mainstream media, preferring to access their news from independent content creators and citizen journalists on YouTube. Both groups seem to be becoming more entrenched in their views.

Income-generating online enterprises:

Participants in the Media Lives study continue to proactively look for ways to use the internet to generate income. Some are using online marketplaces such as Vinted and Amazon Marketplace semi-professionally to sell unwanted items, while others reported setting up small retail enterprises on Facebook or even engaging in Bitcoin mining.

YouTube-only viewing among men:

For participants in the qualitative study, YouTube has, in previous years, predominantly been used to access content related to their personal interests. From the latest wave of research, however, it now seems to serve a broader range of viewing tastes and needs. These include ‘background’ viewing – sometimes as a replacement for daytime TV – and videos about a host of random and eclectic topics.

For some male participants in the qualitative study, You Tube is now their main or only form of viewing. Participants mentioned how the algorithm, search function and channel subscriptions makes it easy to find interesting content to watch, compared to scrolling through an electronic programme guide or navigating a streaming service interface.

Online confidence is high, but this doesn’t always reflect skill:

Overall confidence online is high (89 per cent), but confidence in specific skills, such as recognising advertising (81 per cent) or judging accuracy (72 per cent), is lower. When Ofcom tested people’s ability to spot a fake social media profile, younger social media users  (16–24-year-olds) performed best (88 per cent) while 25-34- and 35–44-year-olds, despite being highly active online, were most likely to misjudge it (17 per cent and 15 per cent respectively). When presented with a scam email, a majority of online adults (82 per cent) indicated they would respond safely, although this has decreased in recent years – down from 88 per cent in 2022.

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Categories: AI, Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Mobile, Research, Social Media

Tags: AI, Ofcom, social media, youtube