Highlights
- Three in five British internet users now visit Reddit, up from one third in 2023.
- Platform ranks sixth most visited site for 18-24 age group, with over three-quarters of young Brits using it.
- More than half of UK Reddit users are women, with growing interest in skincare, parenting and football subreddits.
Reddit has overtaken TikTok to become Britain's fourth most visited social media platform, driven by Google search algorithm changes and Gen Z users seeking authentic human opinions online.
The discussion forum has experienced dramatic growth over the past two years, with an 88 per cent increase in the proportion of UK internet users it reaches. Three in five Brits online now encounter the site, up from a third in 2023, according to Ofcom data.
The platform's popularity is rising fastest amongst younger users. Reddit now ranks as the sixth most visited site of any kind by UK users aged 18-24, up from 10th place a year earlier, with more than three-quarters of that age group now visiting it regularly.
Changes to Google's search algorithms last year, which prioritise helpful content from discussion forums, appear to have significantly boosted Reddit's visibility.
A deal allowing Google to train its AI model on Reddit content has also helped, with Reddit becoming the most-cited source for Google AI overviews.
Growing user diversity
The company believes it's benefiting from shifting internet habits, as younger users actively seek human-generated reviews and opinions on topics including parenting, skincare and sports, rather than AI-generated content.
Jen Wong, Reddit's chief operating officer, highlighted the platform's transformation from its male-dominated gaming and tech origins. "Reddit has become very diverse – it is gender-balanced in the UK now," she told The Guardian, noting that one in three users are Gen Z women.
More than half of UK users are now women, with internal research showing 71 per cent of women on Reddit UK have personal interests in skincare, beauty and cosmetics. UK subreddits on pregnancy and parenting have doubled in size over the past year.
The platform has also become popular for football fans, with the Premier League subreddit gaining over a billion views in the last year. Women's football coverage has particularly flourished, with subreddits for Arsenal's women's team and the Lionesses doubling their views.
The UK represents Reddit's second largest user base globally after the United States. The UK government launched its own account, UKGovNews, last year, with Housing Secretary Steve Reed recently holding an "ask me anything" session on the platform.
