Elon Musk’s platform X plummets in popularity with Brits ‘turned off’ by racy vids
Brits are spending less time on Elon Musk's X platform, while the rival Bluesky is rocketing in popularity according to a new study which spells bad news for adult websites
Elon Musk’s platform X has plummeted in popularity with Brits.
A deep dive into the nation’s digital habits by Ofcom revealed it reached 8% less people in May 2023 compared to May 2024. That was by far the biggest drop of any social media platform. The tech app has refused to release its own data but it is worth nearly 80% less than when the mogul bought it for £34 billion, according to reports.
Meanwhile rival Bluesky is getting more popular, reaching 263% more people in September compared to August this year. Gen Z women spend a whopping 100 days of the year scrolling the internet with the study revealing stark differences between the two sexes.
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Females aged 18-24 are on the web for an average of 6 hours 36 minutes each day, more than an hour longer than men the same age. The most popular apps for women are Pinterest, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok while men prefer Quora, X, Reddit and LinkedIn.
The report also revealed Brits are increasingly turned off by porn, with visits to x-rated sites falling by 11% in the first half of 2024 compared to 2023. Men still massively make up the majority of adult site users at 72%.
Fellas are also more likely to use dating websites, with Hinge the only service where women outnumber males. Chat GPT is the most popular generative AI tool with almost a third of 8-15yr olds using it - but just 18% of people aged over 16 think it is reliable.
Two thirds of women are worried about using bots compared to just over half of men. In terms of nasty experiences online, men are more likely fall prey to scams or fraud while women suffer more harassment and dodgy friend requests.
Teen girls are more likely to see harmful content about eating disorders while boys see more dangerous stunts. An Ofcom spokesperson said: “From next month, tech firms will have to start acting to protect adults and children online - starting with tackling the most harmful, illegal content.”
Kids and young adults are also racking up more time watching YouTube on the telly, rather than on phones or other gadgets, the report found.