Fewer adults in the UK are logging into X (formerly X – Formerly known as Twitter) in 2024, and AI tools aren’t capturing hearts as fast as many investors would have hoped.
This information comes from Ofcom’s annual Online Nation report, which examines how the UK population spend their time online, and for how long.
According to the report, UK adults now spend four hours and 20 minutes a day online, up significantly from 2023, when adults over 18 spent an average of 3 hours and 41 minutes online.
The average is being driven in large part by usage among younger adults. Those aged 18 to 24, who are hooked on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, are spending an average of six hours and one minute online—up by an hour and a half from 2023, when their average time was four hours and 36 minutes. In contrast, the over-65 age group spends the least time online, averaging three hours and 10 minutes.
Decline of X
Once a powerhouse in the social media landscape, X is experiencing a significant drop in its user base across the UK. Ofcom reported that 22.1 million adults in the UK were active on X in May 2024, marking an 8% year-on-year decline from 24 million in May 2023, and 26.8 million in May 2022. This decline is the largest among all social media platforms and contradicts the global trend of increasing social media use.
The start of the downturn in X’s fortunes aligns with Elon Musk’s purchase of the business for $44 billion in October 2022. Since then he has stamped his authority on the platform, turning it into a hub of free speech. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up to you, but the data indicates that a significant number of users do not agree with Musk’s approach.
Who is benefitting from X’s demise?
As X’s user numbers shrink, Reddit has emerged as the fastest-growing social platform in the UK. With an astonishing 47% increase in users over the past year, Reddit now reaches 22.9 million UK adults, overtaking X/Twitter for the first time. In addition, newer platforms like Bluesky are also gaining traction. Bluesky, which had only 80,000 users in May 2024, saw a dramatic increase to 461,000 users by September—a 263% growth.
These changes reflect a broader shift in the social media landscape, as users seek alternatives to established platforms like X. While it remains to be seen whether this growth will continue, Bluesky’s rapid expansion indicates that the competition to attract disillusioned X users is intensifying.
Slow Adoption of Generative AI
In recent years, the biggest tech companies in the world have invested billions into generative AI, yet the general public remains relatively uninterested in these tools—at least for now.
Despite aggressive marketing of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Google’s Gemini as revolutionary, their adoption has been slow in the UK.
ChatGPT remains the most popular GenAI tool, but Ofcom’s report reveals that 38% of adults are “not interested” in using generative AI, and 35% feel they “don’t need it.” Only 48% of adults have used generative AI, with the majority using it “for fun,” while 43% have used it for work-related tasks, mainly to find information.
Younger users are adopting AI tools more readily. Over half (54%) of children aged 16 and under have experimented with generative AI, often for schoolwork (53%) or entertainment (63%). Nonetheless, a significant portion of the population remains sceptical, with only 18% trusting content generated by AI.
Almost Half of Online Time Spent on Alphabet and Meta Services
The list of services users can spend their online time on is impossibly long, but just two companies take up nearly half of all the time U.K. adults spend online. Alphabet (Google) and Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp). In May 2024, UK adults spent an average of 2 hours and 4 minutes daily on services from these two tech giants, accounting for nearly 48% of their total online time.
Alphabet’s dominance is clear, with 99% of adults visiting at least one of its services. Google itself is not included in Ofcom’s visitation data, which makes YouTube the most-visited service, used by 94% of people, for an average of 47 minutes a day.
Meta follows closely behind, reaching 96% of adults. Among Meta’s platforms, 70% (33 million) of UK adults visited all three major services—Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—each month. However, Facebook’s reach has been notably skewed by age: 18-24-year-olds spend just 15 minutes a day on the platform, much lower than the 39 minutes spent by adults overall.
Online Harms and Misinformation
As digital engagement increases, so do concerns about online harms. Ofcom found that 39% of users aged 13 and older have encountered misinformation online, while 30% reported seeing content that made them feel uncomfortable, upset, or negative. Additionally, 26% of adults have come across hateful or offensive content online, an increase from 23% in 2023.
Among younger users, issues related to body image and harmful content remain significant. Ofcom’s findings indicate that these problems disproportionately affect teenage girls, underscoring the need for platforms to do more to protect vulnerable users.
Online Safety: Who Should Be Responsible?
As concerns about online safety intensify, the latest Online Nation 2024 report from Ofcom sheds light on public opinion regarding who should bear the responsibility for ensuring a safe digital environment. The findings suggest a growing belief that websites, apps, and search engines must play a more proactive role in protecting users.
According to the report, nearly two-fifths (39%) of adult UK internet users believe that the responsibility lies with the website or app that hosts user-generated content, while 41% place that responsibility on search engines. Women are more likely than men to attribute this responsibility to platforms, with 40% of women saying websites/apps should safeguard users, compared to 38% of men. The gender gap extends to search engines, where 45% of women think search engines should be responsible, versus 38% of men. However, a notable 20% still feel that individuals must ensure their content is appropriate.
The debate over free speech remains a point of contention. Ofcom found that 38% of UK adults believe the internet plays a crucial role in supporting free speech, with men (47%) more likely than women (30%) to support this view. Furthermore, more online adults (26%) agreed in June 2024 that it is more important for platforms to monitor and delete offensive views than in 2023 (24%). This indicates a rising concern over harmful online content.
