Why are UK Social Media Users less active on tech platforms?

New Ofcom (Office of Communications) data shows data that implies adult social media users are engaging less and less with traditional tech platforms, but why is this the case? Dan Milmo, the Global Technology Editor from The Guardian explores the turn away from the bread and butter of social media, the ‘grid post’.

Just under half of adult social media users (49%) now post, share or comment compared with 61% in 2024.

Ofcom suggests this is because of the rise of video-oriented platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels in combination with concerns of the impact of your digital footprint. This means more people are opting for temporary forms of posting, such as ‘Stories’ features, in the fear that a permanent post or engagement could later come back to bite them.

In addition to this, Ofcom data shows:

the proportion of adults who feel the benefits of being online outweigh the risks [has] fallen to 59% in 2025 compared with 72% in 2024.

Despite this trend and this sentiment, this doesn’t spell the end for social media usage, with 89% of adult internet users using at least one social media platform. But it does indicate a shift in the UK public’s online behaviour and a sunsetting of social media as it was originally created. A clear sign of this is seen in AI usage with more than half (54%) of UK adults using AI tools such as ChatGPT, up from 31% in 2024.

Read more here.