TL;DROver one million Dutch adults now get news solely from social media, though only 12% trust what they find there. The 2026 Digital News Report shows news interest and trust declining across the Netherlands, with younger users turning to influencers and AI chatbots.
More than one million people in the Netherlands now rely exclusively on social media for news, according to the 2026 Digital News Report published on Tuesday. They use no news websites, no television, no radio, and only 12% say they trust what they encounter on those platforms.
The group represents 7% of Dutch adults, up from 2% in 2018. The annual study, produced by the Dutch media regulator Commissariaat voor de Media with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, describes the pattern as a paradox: the platforms people distrust most are the ones a growing number depend on entirely.
A broader disengagement
The shift is not just about where people get news. It is about whether they want it at all.
