How Young EU Citizens Use Social Media

More than 6 in 10 young EU citizens say they use social media platforms daily to follow social and political news and updates.

Over half of young users rely on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X to stay informed about current events, according to Eurobarometer.

Compared to older age groups (55+), younger participants are more likely to read or watch content, like or react to posts, and share content through private messages. However, they are less likely to comment publicly—only 18%, versus 22–24% among older users.

Around 46% of respondents said they encountered disinformation or fake news within the past week. Still, 71% of young people are confident they can recognize false information—the highest rate among all age groups.

Their most common fact-checking strategies include:

• Verifying the source’s reliability,

• Reading comments to see what others say,

• Checking whether photos or videos appear genuine.

  
  

Source: Euronews