Hungary among Europe’s top 10 for social media news consumption, but trust remains low

Hungary has ranked among the ten European countries relying most on social media for news, reinforcing a regional shift in news consumption habits that prioritises speed and accessibility over traditional media gatekeeping, recent research shows.

A new index study by Aura Print, drawing on 2025 data from the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report, places Hungary in joint seventh place in Europe for the proportion of the population turning to platforms like TikTok and YouTube to keep abreast of current events. According to the study, 11 percent of Hungarians now use TikTok as a news source, while 27 percent favour YouTube. This social media preference scores Hungary 64.4 out of 100, tying with France and Croatia.

The broader European league is led by Romania, where 31 percent use YouTube for news, and nearly one in four adults turn to TikTok, followed closely by Serbia and Greece. In contrast, Ireland rounds out the top 10, with lower overall engagement.

The trend shows that social media’s immediacy and variety of news topics appeal strongly, especially to younger audiences. Indeed, across Europe, 44 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds now cite social platforms as their primary news source. However, media experts warn of downsides. As a spokesperson for Aura Print notes, “Although convenient, getting your news primarily from social media is not advisable, as there might be misleading or even untrue information provided. Algorithms can create filter bubbles, exposing users only to similar viewpoints and limiting broader understanding.”

Trust and avoidance: Hungary’s news landscape in European context

Digging deeper, the Digital News Report highlights another key challenge: diminishing levels of public trust in news institutions, especially in Eastern Europe. In Hungary, trust in news has sunk to just 22 percent—one of the lowest rates in Europe, alongside Greece. This low figure signals both widespread scepticism and the increasing difficulty for reputable news outlets to cut through the noise of fast-circulating online content and misinformation.

Not only is trust low, but a substantial share of Hungarians also consider politicians a significant source of misinformation; 54 percent identify leading national politicians as the number one threat to the integrity of news, comparable to Serbia and Slovakia. Nearly one in three Hungarians also believes journalists themselves contribute to the spread of falsehoods, a sentiment echoed in other countries where perceptions of media-partisanship run high.

Despite these concerns, avoidance of traditional news is not as pronounced in Hungary as in some neighbouring countries. For example, Bulgaria stands out with 63 percent of respondents saying they actively avoid the news, while in Hungary, the problem appears less acute but is nevertheless worrying for the news industry.

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The rise of alternative media and youth influence

The report underscores how social and video-first platforms are rapidly overtaking legacy outlets not only for access but also for influence. A fragmented online news environment populated by “personalities”, YouTubers, and TikTokers is changing the rules: populist politicians and partisanship often thrive in this new ecosystem, frequently outpacing traditional journalism in speed, reach, and narrative control.

Hungary, with its polarised media environment and ongoing debates about press freedom, both mirrors and shapes these European patterns. While social media provides a vital channel for alternative voices—sometimes challenging state narratives and pushing creative engagement with younger news consumers—it simultaneously risks increasing political polarisation and enabling the easy spread of misinformation.

The way forward

For Hungary and its neighbours, the challenge is clear: to reconnect an increasingly sceptical and selective public with trusted, evidence-based journalism, while learning from the dynamism and accessibility of social-first storytelling. As social platforms continue to reinvent how news is discovered, shared, and discussed, finding ways to blend the strengths of old and new media may prove the most effective path for building trust and keeping citizens informed in a complicated, ever-changing world.