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Accessing news via social media has overtaken traditional online news for the first time, according to the Digital News Report: Australia 2026.
The 12th annual report, released by the University of Canberra's News and Media Research Centre, was produced with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford, surveyed more than 2,000 Australians online.
Social media is now used by 56% of Australians to access news, edging past direct visits to news sites and apps on 52% and behind only TV on 57%.
Younger audiences are driving the shift. 60% of 18-24s have never read a printed newspaper, and TikTok use for news in that group has climbed to 48%, up 12 points on last year.
Sora Park, director of the centre and the report's lead author, said younger Australians weren't disengaging from news, just consuming it differently.
"They are consuming it in different ways, across different platforms and often from a wider range of sources," Park said.
Generative AI is finding a place in the mix too. 9% of Australians, up three points, use chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity for news, mostly to summarise stories or follow up on something they've already seen elsewhere.
Trust hasn't caught up: about half distrust news sourced from AI chatbots (49%) or social media (51%).
Creators and influencers are now a news source for 43% of Australians, who rate that content as more entertaining, relatable and easier to understand than traditional media. Uptake is stronger among right-leaning audiences on 52% than left-leaning ones on 37%.
The standout number for media buyers sits in payment data. Australia has the highest share of consumers paying for digital-only news brands of any country in the survey, at 35%, while overall payment for online news held at 23%.
Exclusive content (46%) and an ad-free experience (39%) are the top reasons people pay, a marker of where audience attention, and resistance to advertising, is heading.
Trust in self-selected sources is climbing regardless. Australians trust "my news" on 54%, up five points, more than twice the trust placed in news on social media (21%) or from AI chatbots (19%). Trust among under-35s rose six points to 60%.
Park said the findings pointed to a changing media environment, not a shrinking one.
"The way Australians access news is changing rapidly, but the demand for credible information remains strong," she said.
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