London: Reddit has overtaken TikTok to become Britain’s fourth most visited social media platform, as changes to search algorithms and shifting Gen Z habits have significantly boosted its prominence.
The online discussion platform has recorded dramatic growth over the past two years, with an 88 percent increase in the proportion of UK internet users it reaches. According to media regulator Ofcom, three in five people online in the UK now encounter Reddit, compared with just one-third in 2023.
Its popularity has grown fastest among younger users, with Reddit now ranking as the sixth most visited organisation of any kind among UK users aged 18 to 24, up from 10th place a year earlier. More than 75 percent of people in this age group now use the platform.
The rapid rise reflects a shift in Reddit’s standing. Once widely viewed as a space dominated by hostile exchanges between largely anonymous users, the platform has entered the mainstream.
The UK has become a key growth market for Reddit, now hosting its second-largest user base globally after the United States, according to company records.
Several factors have driven Reddit’s surge. A change to Google’s search algorithms last year, which prioritised helpful content from discussion forums, appears to have been a major contributor. Reddit has also benefited from a recent agreement with Google that allows the tech giant to train its AI models on Reddit content.
As Reddit is now the most-cited source for Google’s AI overviews, more users are being directed to its forums. The company has a similar content-licensing deal with OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT.
Reddit says it is also gaining from changing internet habits, with younger users increasingly seeking human-generated reviews and opinions on topics such as parenting, skincare, and sports.
More than half of Reddit’s UK users are women. Internal company research indicates that 71 percent of women on Reddit in the UK have a personal interest in skincare, beauty, and cosmetics, driving higher traffic to UK-based subreddits focused on those subjects.
Jen Wong, Reddit’s Chief Operating Officer, said that the platform has moved beyond its earlier male-skewed reputation rooted in gaming and technology. Wong noted that Reddit is now gender-balanced in the UK and that one in three users are Gen Z women.
Wong noted that younger generations are more open to seeking advice online about major life stages, such as leaving home, renting for the first time, managing finances, or paying for a wedding. The COO described Reddit as a safe place to ask practical questions, even about topics like balancing a chequebook.
UK subreddits focused on pregnancy and parenting have doubled in size over the past year. Sports discussions have also expanded rapidly, with many Premier League fans watching matches while logged into their club’s subreddit.
The Premier League subreddit alone has gained more than a billion additional views over the last year. Reddit has also become an important discussion space for women’s football, which traditionally receives less coverage than the men’s game. Views for subreddits covering Arsenal Women and the England Lionesses have doubled over the past year.
The COO stated that Reddit is focused on encouraging users to visit the platform directly rather than arriving via search results. Wong also positioned Reddit as an alternative to AI-generated content, arguing that its value lies in messy, human-driven discussions rather than polished, single-answer outputs. She said Reddit avoids what she described as ‘AI slop,’ offering a range of perspectives that users must weigh for themselves.
As Reddit’s prominence has grown, the UK government has launched its own official account, UKGovNews, over the past year. The account has shared information on issues including the cost of living, rail ticket prices, and immigration, while Housing Secretary Steve Reed recently hosted an ‘ask me anything’ session on the platform.
Despite its growth, confrontational exchanges remain easy to find on Reddit. Wong said this is part of the platform’s culture, but noted that individual subreddits have their own rules and moderators. Wong noted that Reddit’s voting system plays a key role in maintaining standards, describing downvotes as a powerful tool in promoting civility, with ‘be civil’ among the most common community rules.
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