European Parliament Social Media Survey: Insights on Youth Information Habits

2025

European Parliament Social Media Survey: Insights on Youth Information Habits

The European Parliament has released the 2025 edition of its Social Media Survey, offering a detailed look at how EU citizens, especially young people, use digital platforms to access social and political information. 

The findings highlight a clear generational split. While TV remains the primary source of information overall (71%), young people aged 15–24 turn primarily to social media for social and political current affairs (65%). The report also shows that TV's relevance increases with age, while the importance of social media decreases. Yet interestingly, older users who are active on social media are more likely to search intentionally for political information than younger ones.

Exposure to disinformation remains a major concern: two-thirds of respondents believe they encountered fake news at least occasionally in the past week, with younger users reporting more frequent exposure. Despite this, only around six in ten feel confident identifying disinformation when they see it.

The survey also notes that young people follow influencers at far higher rates (74%) than the general population, and many engage with commentary on social and political issues. In terms of preferred formats for political content, short text posts, short videos, and in-depth explainer videos rank highest.

Factsheets by country are available in all EU languages, and the full English report can be access below.