X Shrinks, Younger Audiences Migrate to Reddit and TikTok

A new Pew Research Center report finds that Americans’ social media behavior is growing more fragmented, echoing the broader splintering of the news ecosystem and complicating how brands reach consumers at scale. While YouTube, Facebook and Instagram remain dominant, Reddit and TikTok are the standout climbers, especially among adults under 30.

As X continues to shed users. Pew’s data shows Reddit now reaches 26% of U.S. adults, up sharply from 18% four years ago, with half of 18–29-year-olds using it regularly. TikTok’s daily-use numbers among younger adults also reinforce its role as a primary entertainment and discovery channel rather than a secondary feed. 

The report additionally highlights WhatsApp’s steady growth, particularly among Asian and Hispanic users, signaling a widening set of channels brands must account for. A notable subplot: content from platforms like YouTube and Reddit is increasingly shaping the inputs for large language models, influencing what AI systems surface as authoritative information. Together, the findings underscore how rapidly social behavior is shifting—and how essential it has become for marketers to diversify audience strategies across platforms with very different cultures and consumption patterns.

Full story: AXIOS