Some 500,000 people in the Netherlands left Elon Musk’s social media platform X last year, according to annual research by Newcom into Dutch social media habits.

At the same time, TikTok, Snapchat and LinkedIn became more popular, the Newcom research shows.

The number of X users fell by 14%, taking the total to around 2.8 million people. The platform and Musk have been under fire for removing moderation, opening up the channel to virulent hate speech and disinformation.

News and media organisations KRO/NCRV, Trouw, and the Volkskrant have already left X, and political party Volt is poised to do so.

The number of Facebook users fell by 180,000 to 9.9 million, out of a population of 18 million. Some 5.7 million people have a LinkedIn account, a rise of 4%, while TikTok and Snapchat gathered 3% more users.

Whatsapp remains the most important channel, with 13.5 million users in the Netherlands. People use an average of two different channels a day, down from 2.4 channels in 2023, and the downturn is across all age groups, Newcom said.

The research also showed that some 60% of those polled back a social media ban for the under 16s. Youngsters spend an average of 165 minutes a day on social media, Newcom said.

The Dutch government said earlier this month it has no intention of stopping using social media channels X, Instagram and Facebook to spread information, despite calls from internet development organisations to do so.

Dutch News has recently added social media platform Bluesky to its social media package, offering a new way for readers to follow its complete news feed online. Dutch News also has a presence on Mastadon, Facebook and Instagram and you can pick up the podcast on Soundcloud. Dutch News remains on X for the time being.