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Mobile phone use for news has increased by 19 points since 2017; computer use has fallen by 5 points but is rebounding from its 2022 low
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Spain ranks seventh in Europe in terms of smartphone use for news, above the average (78%)
The smartphone is Spain’s leading news platform. Seventy-nine percent of adults with internet access use it weekly to access news, a figure that rises to 95% when all subject are included. Its dominance is clear: no other device comes close. Computers and smart TVs share second place with 54% each, followed by tablets (31%) and, further behind, smart speakers (19%) and smartwatches (15%). The smart TV figure, combined with the still-significant use of television as source , points to a growing integration between television viewing and internet use in Spanish households, consistent with the high penetration of these devices.
The gap between general use and news consumption varies significantly by device. Smartphones sample smallest gap: among those who use them, 83% also use them for news, reflecting their role as a device providing nearly universal access to information. At the other end of the spectrum, smartwatches have the largest gap. Only 15% of smartwatch owners use them for news, indicating that this is still a secondary or experimental use.
Trends Since 2017: The Rise of the Smartphone and the Comeback of the Computer
The longitudinal series for smartphones, computers, and tablets sample very different sample . Mobile usage increased significantly from 2017 (61%) until it peaked in 2024 (81%), after which it appears to be stabilizing or experiencing a slight decline. This is reflected in the figures of 80% for 2025 and 79% for 2026. Its position as the dominant device for accessing information is well established, and it does not appear to have significant room for further growth.
The computer shows a more erratic trend. The decline from 59% in 2017 to 36% in 2022 was one of the most striking changes during that period, coinciding with the rise of the smartphone as the primary device for accessing news. However, starting in 2024, computer use recovers to 58%, before stabilizing at around 54% in 2025 and 2026. This recovery suggests that the computer has not simply been displaced by the smartphone, but rather that the two coexist in complementary roles: the smartphone for quick, on-the-go consumption, and the computer for potentially more extensive or leisurely reading.
Tablets, meanwhile, sample similar trajectory but on a smaller scale: they decline between 2017 and 2022, rebound strongly in 2024, and then stabilize at around 31% in 2025 and 2026.
Username profile Username device: Everyone uses a cell phone; men use computers
The smartphone is the most widely used device for news across all age groups: its use for news ranges from approximately 74–75% in the groups with the highest and lowest relative usage (55–64, 65+, and 18–24) to 83% among those aged 25–54, with no significant differences between groups. This consistency contrasts with the profile other devices.
Computer sample profile linked to young adults and middle-aged adults: it peaks among those aged 25 to 34 (63%) and declines in some subsequent age groups, reaching its lowest level among those aged 45 to 54 (48%). Even so, it remains close to or above 50% in almost all groups. Smart TVs, on the other hand, show a profile adult profile : their peak news consumption occurs among those aged 45–54 (61%) and 55–64 (59%), and drops significantly among young adults aged 18–24 (39%).
The most pronounced gender gap is found in the use of computers for news. Sixty-two percent of men say they use a computer for this purpose, compared to 46% of women—a difference of 16 percentage points. This gap mirrors the patron saint observed in the use of YouTube X for news, and suggests a significant difference in how men and women approach more extensive or intentional news consumption. For smartphones and smart TVs, the differences are smaller (7 and 2 percentage points, respectively), confirming that these devices have a more symmetrical profile .
For its part, interest in the news differentiates the use of all devices, albeit to varying degrees. Among those most interested in the news, 87% use a smartphone (compared to 70% of those least interested), 62% use a computer (vs. 44%), and 63% usea smart TV(vs. 45%). The gap of around 17–18 points remains consistent across the three main devices, suggesting that interest in news increases the use of all screens equally, without favoring any one of them in particular.
