Reuters 2025 digital news report: Young Indians prefer AI and influencers for news
&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Reuters 2025 digital news report: Young Indians prefer AI and influencers for news")
Reuters 2025 digital news report: Young Indians prefer AI and influencers for news Photograph: (Reuters)
Growing number of Indians are turning to AI and social media influencers for news, says the 2025 Digital News Report. Platforms like YouTube and AI tools are reshaping news habits, especially among younger audiences. WhatsApp remains a mixed platform, with misinformation concerns.
More indians using AI and influencers for news, says report. Young audiences prefer video and social media. A growing number of Indians are turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and social media influencers for their daily news, according to the 2025 Digital News Report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The report, based on a survey of 1 lakh people across 48 countries, highlights significant shifts in how news is consumed in India.
More than 50 per cent of English-speaking Indian respondents with internet access said they sometimes avoid the news. Traditional sources such as TV, newspapers, and news websites are seeing a drop in engagement, while platforms like YouTube and news aggregators are growing in popularity.
Influencers and AI shaping news habits
Influencers have become important sources of news, especially among younger audiences. These content creators, often found on YouTube and Instagram, are gaining large followings. Globally, creators like Joe Rogan and HugoDécrypte are already reaching millions. In countries like India, Thailand, Kenya, and the Philippines, video-based, personality-driven news is now preferred over traditional reading.
According to the report, 41 per cent of people aged 18–34 rely on social media and YouTube as their main news source. Only 24 per cent in the same group turn to publisher websites. This shift is pushing news organisations to rethink how they reach audiences.
AI tools and WhatsApp roles
Trending Stories
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
The report also found that AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Perplexity AI are becoming more popular for summarising and simplifying news. In India, these tools are the most widely used for personalised news, with 44 per cent of people comfortable using AI for this purpose. Nearly 1 in 5 users said they access news through AI chatbots every week.
Although WhatsApp is seen as safer from misinformation in many countries, India remains an exception. Large group chats in the app have been linked to the spread of fake news and even incidents of mob violence.
Around 11 per cent of Indian users believe that even friends and family contribute to spreading misinformation, as per 2025 Digital News Report.
