According to a recent report by the French newspaper Le Figaro, Elon Musk's social media platform, X, experienced a dramatic decline in its user base within the European Union. During the first quarter of 2025, the platform lost approximately 2.7 million users in France alone, its largest market in Europe. Luxembourg recorded the steepest drop, with nearly 25% of users abandoning the platform, while Poland saw a 20% user decline.
France, with around 17 million users, remains X's largest EU market, followed closely by Germany with 15.6 million users. However, a comparison of recent statistics with data from October 2024 reveals that X lost nearly 11 million users EU-wide within just six months. Between April 1 and Sept. 30, 2024, the platform had an average of 105 million monthly active users. By the end of March 2025, this figure had dropped to 94.8 million—a nearly 10% year-on-year decline.
The report highlights that European users' dissatisfaction with Elon Musk's political stance is a primary factor behind the mass exodus. Since acquiring X, Musk has faced mounting criticism for his approach to "free speech," which involved significantly loosening content moderation policies. Many users believe this shift has made the platform a breeding ground for "hate speech and harmful content," prompting them to leave.
Additionally, Musk's close association with US President Donald Trump has exacerbated negative sentiment among Europeans. French media outlets cited several controversial actions by Musk, including his alleged Nazi salute during public events, leading the US "Department of Government Efficiency," interfering in UK domestic politics, and supporting Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Since November 2024, prominent French media outlets—including Ouest-France, L'Obs, Sud Ouest, and Le Monde—have gradually exited the platform. In January 2025, the Paris city government also announced the closure of its official X account, citing Musk's management of the platform. The city government accused X of undermining the dissemination of factual and objective information, enabling hate speech and disinformation, and exhibiting a growing lack of content regulation.
(Source: Global Times)
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