As of the third quarter of 2024, internet users spent six hours and 38 minutes online daily. This is a slight increase in comparison to the previous quarter. Overall, between the third quarter of 2015 and the third quarter of 2024, the average daily internet use has increased by 19 minutes. Most online countries Internet users between 16 and 64 years old in South Africa spent the longest time online daily, nine hours and 27 minutes, followed by Brazil and the Philippines. These figures include the time spent using the internet on any device. In Japan, internet users spent around three hours and 57 minutes online per day. Users in Denmark also spent relatively less time on the internet, reaching about five hours daily. Most common online activities According to a 2024 survey, more than six in 10 people worldwide used the internet to find information. Furthermore, the usage of communication platforms was also a common reason for going online, followed by online content consumption, such as watching videos, TV shows, or movies.

How much time do people spend on social media? As of 2025, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 141 minutes per day, down from 143 minutes in the previous year. Currently, the country with the most time spent on social media per day is Brazil, with online users spending an average of 3 hours and 49 minutes on social media each day. In comparison, the daily time spent with social media in the U.S. was just 2 hours and 16 minutes. Global social media usageCurrently, the global social network penetration rate is 62.3 percent. Northern Europe had an 81.7 percent social media penetration rate, topping the ranking of global social media usage by region. Eastern and Middle Africa closed the ranking with 10.1 and 9.6 percent usage reach, respectively. People access social media for a variety of reasons. Users like to find funny or entertaining content and enjoy sharing photos and videos with friends, but mainly use social media to stay in touch with current events friends. Global impact of social mediaSocial media has a wide-reaching and significant impact on not only online activities but also offline behavior and life in general. During a global online user survey in February 2019, a significant share of respondents stated that social media had increased their access to information, ease of communication, and freedom of expression. On the flip side, respondents also felt that social media had worsened their personal privacy, increased a polarization in politics and heightened everyday distractions.

As of the third quarter of 2024, internet users in South Africa spent more than **** hours and ** minutes online per day, ranking first among the regions worldwide. Brazil followed, with roughly **** hours of daily online usage. As of the examined period, Japan registered the lowest number of daily hours spent online, with users in the country spending an average of over **** hours per day using the internet. The data includes the daily time spent online on any device. Social media usage In recent years, social media has become integral to internet users' daily lives, with users spending an average of *** minutes daily on social media activities. In April 2024, global social network penetration reached **** percent, highlighting its widespread adoption. Among the various platforms, YouTube stands out, with over *** billion monthly active users, making it one of the most popular social media platforms. YouTube’s global popularity In 2023, the keyword "YouTube" ranked among the most popular search queries on Google, highlighting the platform's immense popularity. YouTube generated most of its traffic through mobile devices, with about 98 billion visits. This popularity was particularly evident in the United Arab Emirates, where YouTube penetration reached approximately **** percent, the highest in the world.

This statistic presents the average daily time spent online by internet users worldwide from 2011 to 2021, sorted by device. According to Zenith Optimedia, in 2018, the average daily minutes of desktop internet consumption per capita amounted to 39 minutes and is projected to slowly decline until 2020. However, daily mobile internet consumption is set to increase to 155 minutes in 2021.

As of the first quarter of 2019, internet users in North America spent an average of 3 hours and 57 minutes online via mobile, compared to only 2 hours and 33 minutes of daily non-mobile internet use. Europe is the only region where internet usage via PC, laptop or tablet still ranks ahead of mobile in terms of daily usage.

As of the third quarter of 2024, female users between 16 and 24 years were the demographic group that spent the most time online, using the internet for around ***** hours and ** minutes daily. Male users, of the same age group, spent ***** hours and ** minutes daily online. Among the less active demographic groups were internet users aged 65 and older, who reported spending, on average, up to **** hours online daily.

Since 2013, global mobile internet usage has grown significantly, much to the detriment of PC and laptop internet access. As of 2019, internet users worldwide spent a daily average of 3 hours and 23 minutes online via mobile and only 3 hours and 27 minutes via PC/laptop.

People in Japan on average spent ***** minutes per weekday using the internet in fiscal year 2024. The internet usage time decreased considerably compared to the previous year because of the inclusion of an additional age group in the survey. As a breakdown by age group shows, the internet usage time was lower among older age cohorts.

In 2024, generation Z had the highest time per day spent on the internet in Poland. This is followed by Generation Y, with an average of * hours and ** minutes per day spent on the internet.

Weekly internet usage in China has been gradually increasing. In June 2025, internet users in China spent on average **** hours per week online, which equals to slightly over **** hours of daily online time.

In a survey conducted during the third quarter of 2024, respondents in Saudi Arabia reported visual digital media accounted for most of their internet usage. On the other hand, respondents spent the least amount of time per day engaging with printed press and radio broadcasts. Media consumption in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia has a growing digital media market. This is aided by strong internet penetration, modern and reliable telecommunication infrastructure, and a large young tech-savvy population. Social media usage, which survey respondents said occupied around ***** hours of their time each day, was topped by Meta-owned companies. The number of YouTube users in the country has also risen significantly in recent years. Such online ad-based social media platforms provide a significant opportunity for advertisers and companies to engage with potential customers. Saudi Arabia has also invested heavily in media and entertainment. In 2014, the state-owned MBC Group launched an ad-free version of its streaming service called Shahid Plus . The total digital revenue of the Shahid platform has consistently increased each year since its launch and has been well-received in other Gulf Cooperation Countries like Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the wider MENA region. Gaming in Saudi Arabia Gaming is widely popular among Saudis; Saudi Arabia has one of the highest shares of internet users who play video games worldwide.The country is home to both professional and non-professional gamers, who generate revenue through streaming on platforms such as Twitch, participating in competitions, and monetizing their gameplay. In recent years, the industry has witnessed drastic growth. As part of its larger quest to expand the media and entertainment landscape, Saudi Arabia has injected ******** of dollars into the gaming industry. Investments are primarily managed through Savvy Games Group, which is a subsidiary of the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

In 2021, adults in the U.S. spent an average of *** minutes (eight hours and five minutes) with digital media each day. This figure marked an increase of ** minutes compared to the previous year. Traditional vs. digital media usage amid COVID-19 The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic boosted media consumption across the globe. It also rapidly accelerated the shift from traditional to digital media consumption that has been unfolding in the United States and other markets for the better part of a decade. In 2020, consumers in the U.S. spent less than *** minutes per day using analog media and entertainment formats such as television, radio, or print media. In contrast, they devoted an estimated *** minutes to digital media and entertainment channels. Even though some traditional formats saw a temporary uptick in demand in 2020, the latest forecasts distinctly show that the media usage gap will continue to widen. How do users spend their time online? There has been a great influx of digital media and entertainment formats in recent years. According to a survey carried out in the early days of the pandemic, online video streaming ranked among the most popular digital media activities in the United States. This finding still holds true in 2022, as platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, or Disney+ continue to add highly anticipated titles to their extensive content catalogs. Other popular digital media categories include online audio, social media, and gaming. Not only did online gaming traffic skyrocket in 2020, but young internet users in particular also spend more time watching gaming video content on services like Twitch nowadays.

In the third quarter of 2024, internet users in the Philippines spent ***** hours and ** minutes per day using the internet. Contrastingly, internet users in Japan spent **** hours and **** minutes on average using the internet per day in the same period.

This statistic presents the average daily time spent online by internet users in North America from 2011 to 2022. According to Zenith Optimedia, in 2018, the average daily minutes of North American internet consumption per capita amounted to 237 minutes. The majority of these daily online minutes were generated via mobile.

This statistic presents the average daily time spent online by global internet users from 2011 to 2021. According to Zenith Optimedia, the average daily minutes of internet consumption per capita amounted to 170 minutes in 2018. The majority of these daily online minutes were generated via mobile.

In 2024, the average Polish internet user spends less than *** hours online daily. Mobile phones were the devices with the highest contribution to the use time. Their users, on average, spent almost * hours a day online.

This statistic presents the average daily time spent online via mobile by internet users in Asia Pacific during the first quarter of 2015, sorted by age group. As of the reported period, it was found that internet users aged 16 to 24 years spent an average of *** minutes on mobile internet services every day.

As of May 2024, internet users in the United Kingdom (UK) spent over three hours daily on smartphones. Young consumers aged between 18 and 24 years reported spending over four and half hours of their online time on smartphones. The same audience spent around 40 minutes using tablets, and 46 minutes on computer devices each day while accessing the internet. The internet usage among individuals aged 65 and over was relatively lower, as they spent less than two hours daily using internet on smartphones, and even less than an hour on computer and tablet devices.

This statistic presents the average daily time spent online by internet users in North America from 2011 to 2022, sorted by device. According to Zenith Optimedia, in 2018 the average daily minutes of North American desktop internet consumption per capita amounted to 53 minutes. However, daily mobile internet consumption was already 183 minutes per capita and is set to increase to 249 minutes in 2021.

The average internet user in Poland spent * hours and ** minutes per day using the internet in the third quarter of 2024. About half as much time (* hours ** minutes) was spent watching television.