Fewer than half of adults now post, comment, or share on social media platforms
Social media use among adults in the UK is becoming more “passive and circumspect” as only 49% actively post, share, or comment, an Ofcom study found.
This is down 12% from 2024, although social media use remains rampant, with 89% of adults using at least one platform, which climbs to 97% among 16 to 34-year-olds.
According to Ofcom’s annual ‘Adults’ Media Use and Attitudes and Adults’ Media Lives’ research, adults are becoming more mindful of their digital footprint, preferring posts with a limited life span, such as stories over traditional posts.
Concerns around social media are rising, with just 59% of adults in 2025 believing the benefits outweigh the risks – down from 79% in 2024. And fewer people (36%) believe that social media is good for their mental health – down from 42%.
Around two-thirds of adults admitted (67%) sometimes spending too much time on their devices, with 40% saying this happens ‘most days’.
Outside of social media, AI is becoming integrated into everyday lives, with over half (54%) of adults using ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot, the Ofcom study found. Young adults are leading the charge with 79% of 16 to 24-year-olds, and 74% of 25 to 34-year-olds actively using LLMs.
Users aren’t just interacting with LLMs like a search function, 12% of AI users reported using the technology for conversational purposes, which climbs to 19% among the youngest users.
This comes as YouTube and Meta platforms have been found to be designed to be addictive, with the platforms having recently lost a lawsuit, opening the door for more potential suits of similar kinds.
With fraudulent ads so prevalent in online advertising, especially on social media platforms like Meta, the ability to spot scams and fake profiles is an important skill. The study found82% of adults online indicated they would respond safely if they saw a scam ad, although this is down from 88% in 2022.
Users are confident they can recognise advertising (81%) or judge accuracy (72%) though, and the ability to spot a fake social media profile is strongest in 16-24 year olds, with 88% able to identify them in tests.
