Australia’s media consumption habits are undergoing significant generational shifts, with younger Australians abandoning traditional news sources in favour of social media platforms, according to a new report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

The How We Access News report, released in February 2024, reveals that while 95 per cent of Australian adults accessed news in the previous week, they are doing so through fewer channels. Australians used an average of just 3.1 different news sources in a week, down from 3.5 in 2022.

Despite the decline in variety, nearly four in five adults (79 per cent) accessed news online, compared to 58 per cent who used television and just 18% who read print newspapers. Free-to-air television (FTA TV) and online news websites remain the top individual sources of news, but both experienced a noticeable drop in weekly usage – falling to 53 per cent each in 2023 from around 59 per cent the previous year.

One of the most striking shifts has been in how younger people consume news. Among Australians aged 18 to 24, nearly half (46 per cent) now cite social media as their main news source. This figure drops significantly among older cohorts, with Australians aged 75 and over more likely to rely on FTA TV (50 per cent) or print newspapers (12 per cent).

“Younger Australians are not only bigger users of social media but more likely to turn to celebrities and social media influencers for their news content, significantly more so than all older age groups,” the report noted. About 31 per cent of 18-to-24-year-olds cited celebrities or social media influencers as news sources, compared to much lower figures in older demographics.

The growing influence of social platforms is reflected in the rise of social media as a main source of news overall – up to 20 per cent of adults in 2023, from 17 per cent in 2022. 

This growth is mirrored by a drop in reliance on traditional outlets. For example, the proportion of 18–24-year-olds using online news websites as their main source fell sharply from 28 per cent to just 12 per cent year on year.

Despite the shift, the ABC continues to dominate across a wide array of platforms. It was the top news provider for online news websites (55 per cent), FTA TV (56 per cent), catch-up TV (54 per cent), radio (25 per cent), and podcasts (31 per cent). On the social media front, Facebook was the leading platform for news, with 70 per cent of users accessing news there.

The ACMA’s findings also reveal geographical and gender-based differences. Australians living in regional areas were more likely to use FTA TV (60 per cent) and radio (41 per cent) than those in metropolitan centres, while people in cities preferred search engines and news websites. Women were more inclined to use social media for news (53 per cent) compared to men (44 per cent), while men showed a higher tendency to use radio, pay TV, and print.

For the full report, visit acma.gov.au.