According to TechRepublic, data from UK regulator Ofcom shows Reddit has officially overtaken TikTok to become Britain’s fourth most-visited social media platform. This caps off an explosive 88% growth in usage over the past two years, with three-fifths of all UK internet users now encountering the site. The shift is most dramatic among 18-24 year-olds, where Reddit jumped from 10th to 6th most-visited organization of any kind in a single year, with over three-quarters of that demographic now using it. The surge is largely attributed to a pivotal Google search algorithm change last year that prioritized forum content, making Reddit the most-cited source for Google AI overviews. The platform now fields 70 million weekly search queries, and its Reddit Answers AI feature has seen a five-fold growth to six million weekly users in just one quarter.
The Algorithm Ate The Search Engine
Here’s the thing: this isn’t just a popularity contest. It’s a fundamental rewrite of the rules for discovery. Google basically handed Reddit the keys to the kingdom with that algorithm update. Suddenly, a “reddit” suffix on your search query went from a niche hack to a core part of how the web works. And it happened just as a huge behavioral shift was taking off. Nearly a third of all consumers now bypass Google to start searches on social platforms like TikTok or Instagram. For Gen Z, that number is over 50%. So Reddit got a double boost: it became Google’s favorite forum *and* it positioned itself as the text-based, substantive alternative to video-based social search. It’s not just about scrolling anymore; it’s about searching within a community you (sort of) trust.
Reddit’s Not Just For Guys Anymore
Maybe the most surprising part of this story is who’s driving this growth. The classic Reddit stereotype is officially dead in the UK. The platform now has a gender-balanced user base, with more than half of its users being women. Think about that. A third of all users are Gen Z women. This isn’t an accident. It’s a demographic revolution that’s reshaping the content on the site. UK parenting subreddits doubled in size. Communities around women’s sports, like the Arsenal women’s team, saw viewership double in a year. When 71% of female users are into skincare and beauty, the entire vibe of the platform changes. It’s gone mainstream. Heck, even the UK government launched an official Reddit account. That’s the ultimate signal that this is now a primary public square.
What This Means For Brands (And Business)
So what’s the real-world impact? Look, social commerce is headed for $2.6 trillion globally. That’s a staggering number. But consumers are savvier and more skeptical than ever. 70% expect user-generated content before buying, and 62% say positive comments and reviews are their top trust driver. That’s Reddit’s entire business model! This shift is a nightmare for brands that rely on polished influencer marketing and can’t handle authentic, unfiltered conversation. You can’t control the narrative on a subreddit. You can only participate, honestly, or get called out. Reddit’s success proves that in an age of AI-generated fluff and sponsored posts, authenticity is the only currency that matters. The 5x growth in AI-powered Reddit Answers shows they’re leaning hard into this search-and-answer future.
The Triumph of The Forum
At its core, this is a story about the resurgence of community-driven text. TikTok users still spend over an hour a day on the app, but that’s passive, algorithmic entertainment. Reddit’s growth is active, intentional, and search-based. It’s people seeking solutions, reviews, and debates, not just distraction. It’s the old-school internet forum, scaled globally and turbocharged by Google’s algorithms. The future of discovery isn’t just about what’s viral or visually stunning. It’s increasingly about what’s useful, what’s discussed, and what’s genuinely recommended by a crowd of peers. And right now, for millions in the UK and beyond, that place is Reddit. The search revolution didn’t kill social media. It just made it look a lot more like a giant, messy, invaluable forum.
