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.

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.

The average daily time spent with digital media in the United States is expected to increase from *** minutes (seven hours and 19 minutes) in 2022 to close to ***** hours in 2025. Higher online media consumption in 2020 was partially attributed to the coronavirus outbreak. Impact of COVID-19 on media consumption In-home media consumption grew sharply in March 2020 in the first stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than ** percent of U.S. respondents reported spending more time watching shows and films on streaming services, and ** percent were reading books or listening to audiobooks more than usual. Despite predictions that this spike in media usage would fall after the initial implementation of shelter-in-place orders, consumers also continued spending more time with media in the summer of 2020. The same survey, held in July that year, also asked participants about their plans to continue with their increased media consumption after the pandemic has run its course. This garnered different responses, with only a handful of U.S. adults planning to carry on investing more time in most media activities. Again though, watching movies and shows on streaming platforms and reading or listening to books were the most popular options.

How many people use social media?

              Social media usage is one of the most popular online activities. In 2024, over five billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to over six billion in 2028.

              Who uses social media?
              Social networking is one of the most popular digital activities worldwide and it is no surprise that social networking penetration across all regions is constantly increasing. As of January 2023, the global social media usage rate stood at 59 percent. This figure is anticipated to grow as lesser developed digital markets catch up with other regions
              when it comes to infrastructure development and the availability of cheap mobile devices. In fact, most of social media’s global growth is driven by the increasing usage of mobile devices. Mobile-first market Eastern Asia topped the global ranking of mobile social networking penetration, followed by established digital powerhouses such as the Americas and Northern Europe.

              How much time do people spend on social media?
              Social media is an integral part of daily internet usage. On average, internet users spend 151 minutes per day on social media and messaging apps, an increase of 40 minutes since 2015. On average, internet users in Latin America had the highest average time spent per day on social media.

              What are the most popular social media platforms?
              Market leader Facebook was the first social network to surpass one billion registered accounts and currently boasts approximately 2.9 billion monthly active users, making it the most popular social network worldwide. In June 2023, the top social media apps in the Apple App Store included mobile messaging apps WhatsApp and Telegram Messenger, as well as the ever-popular app version of Facebook.

The statistic presents daily time spent with digital media among internet users in selected countries worldwide in the second quarter of 2015. On average, internet users in China spent *** hours daily with digital media.

Hong Kong internet users spent an average of *** hour ** minutes each day on social media, according to a 2024 digital usage survey. YouTube gained the highest attention with monthly usage time averaging ** hours and ** minutes per user, which means that users spent about ** minutes a day on the platform. Facebook came in second with ** hours and ** minutes in the monthly screen time, down by ***** hours. Instagram, on the other hand, up by *** hour to ** hours and ** minutes.

Americans are spending more time than ever consuming media, with projections indicating a continued upward trend. In 2023, the average daily time spent with major media formats, including television, newspapers, magazines, radio, and digital platforms, reached ** hours and ** minutes. This figure is expected to surpass ** hours and ** minutes by 2026, highlighting the growing role of media in daily life. Digital media dominates consumption The increase in overall media consumption is largely driven by digital platforms. By 2025, U.S. consumers are anticipated to spend nearly * hours per day with digital media alone. This shift towards digital formats was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a sharp increase in the usage of streaming services and e-books. Today the digital media thrives because of mobile internet and smart TVs, and it is likely to continue on this path as consumers are still looking for ease of access and on-the-go experiences. Generational differences in media habits While television remains the primary device among the general population, younger demographics show different media device preferences. A March 2024 study revealed that ** percent of adults in the United States used mainly the TV for entertainment purposes. However, for those aged 18 to 34, smartphones were the primary device of choice. This generational divide in media consumption habits underscores the evolving landscape of entertainment and the growing importance of mobile devices in capturing younger audiences.

In February 2024, adults in the United States aged between 18 and 24, spent 186 minutes per day engaging with social media platforms. In comparison, respondents aged 65 and older dedicated approximately 102 minutes of their day to social media. TikTok was the most engaging social media platform for U.S. consumers aged between 18 and 24 years. The popular video was also the most engaging among users aged 35 and 54 years, commanding between 45 and 50 minutes of users' daily attention. Respondents aged between 55 and 65, reported to spending between 45 minutes daily on Facebook.

The Chinese digital media consumers spent an average of ***** hours and ** minutes per day in 2019, around ** minutes more than on traditional media. The difference of average time spent between traditional and digital media was expected to increase to nearly *** hours by 2022.

During a 2024 survey among marketers worldwide, around 86 percent reported using Facebook for marketing purposes. Instagram and LinkedIn followed, respectively mentioned by 79 and 65 percent of the respondents.

              The global social media marketing segment

              According to the same study, 59 percent of responding marketers intended to increase their organic use of YouTube for marketing purposes throughout that year. LinkedIn and Instagram followed with similar shares, rounding up the top three social media platforms attracting a planned growth in organic use among global marketers in 2024. Their main driver is increasing brand exposure and traffic, which led the ranking of benefits of social media marketing worldwide.

              Social media for B2B marketing

              Social media platform adoption rates among business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketers vary according to each subsegment's focus. While B2C professionals prioritize Facebook and Instagram – both run by Meta, Inc. – due to their popularity among online audiences, B2B marketers concentrate their endeavors on Microsoft-owned LinkedIn due to its goal to connect people and companies in a corporate context.

According to a survey conducted in June 2023, adults in the United States spent more time per day on TikTok than on any other leading social media platform. Overall, respondents reported spending an average of 53.8 minutes per day on the social video app. YouTube and Twitter ranked second and third, each with an average of 48 minutes and 34 minutes spent on the platforms per day, respectively.

U.S. teens have time for certain platforms

Different social media platforms attract different demographics, with teenagers in the United States being more drawn to TikTok and YouTube over Facebook. In 2023, teenagers in the United States spent an average of almost two hours on YouTube and 1.5 hours on TikTok every day, 1451257 while Facebook was used by teens for less than half an hour per day. Furthermore, social media habits differ between genders, as teen girls were more likely to spend more time than boys on Instagram.

TikTok is king for teens and Gen Z

Although spending 1.5 hours on the Generation Z app of choice may sound rather modest, some TikTok users devote much more of their time to the platform . According to a survey conducted in the United States in 2022, around eight percent of teenagers in the United States spent over five hours a day on TikTok. 1417187 whereas another 22 percent reported spending between two and three hours daily on the video-based app.

This statistic shows the share of time spent with digital media versus the share of digital advertising spend in Canada from 2013 to 2014, and a forecast until 2016. It was estimated that in 2016 Canadians spent ** percent of their media time with digital media. Advertising spend on this medium in 2016 amounted to a **** percent share.

During the third quarter of 2024, internet users in the United States spent over *** hours daily using the internet, with over *** hours spent viewing video content on TV (both broadcast and streamed) as well as more than * hours devoted to using social media platforms. This substantial amount of time spent with online media reflects a significant trend in consumption habits, which have been influenced by the need for inexpensive, faster, and more accessible entertainment. Media Consumption Trends and Future Plans The average daily time spent with digital media in the United States is expected to increase from *** minutes (seven hours and ** minutes) in 2022 to close to * hours by the end of 2025. This pivot is dictated by the ease of access of online entertainment and variety of content available on numerous platforms.According to a survey conducted in April 2023, the majority of consumers in the United States were not planning to make any major changes to most of their media habits in the following year. However, a notable ** percent planned to increase their time spent listening to podcasts. In general, there was an evident shift towards reducing or ending paid subscriptions to numerous media services. Free entertainment is on social A survey conducted in June 2023 highlighted that adults in the United States spent more time per day on TikTok than on any other leading social media platform, with an average of **** minutes per day. The video sharing network gained more popularity with users than YouTube and Twitter. This underlines the growing interest in short form video and fast entertainment options. Today consumers step away from traditional media and dive into online offers.

In 2024, Meta captured a **** percent share of digital ad spending in the United States, while U.S. adults spent *** percent of their digital media time on Meta's platforms. Despite American adults devoting *** percent of their digital media time to Netflix — slightly less than the share allotted to Meta — the streaming giant's share of digital ad spending was lower than that of all other examined platforms.

During a January 2024 global survey among marketers, nearly 60 percent reported plans to increase their organic use of YouTube for marketing purposes in the following 12 months. LinkedIn and Instagram followed, respectively mentioned by 57 and 56 percent of the respondents intending to use them more. According to the same survey, Facebook was the most important social media platform for marketers worldwide.

In 2020, the average daily time spent on social media by U.S. users amounted to ** minutes. This duration is set to stay stable in the upcoming years. The daily minutes in 2020 are strongly related to social distancing due to COVID-19 and thus spending more time with social platforms in order to stay connected.

During a 2024 survey, 77 percent of respondents from Nigeria stated that they used social media as a source of news. In comparison, just 23 percent of Japanese respondents said the same. Large portions of social media users around the world admit that they do not trust social platforms either as media sources or as a way to get news, and yet they continue to access such networks on a daily basis.

              Social media: trust and consumption

              Despite the majority of adults surveyed in each country reporting that they used social networks to keep up to date with news and current affairs, a 2018 study showed that social media is the least trusted news source in the world. Less than 35 percent of adults in Europe considered social networks to be trustworthy in this respect, yet more than 50 percent of adults in Portugal, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Croatia said that they got their news on social media.

              What is clear is that we live in an era where social media is such an enormous part of daily life that consumers will still use it in spite of their doubts or reservations. Concerns about fake news and propaganda on social media have not stopped billions of users accessing their favorite networks on a daily basis.
              Most Millennials in the United States use social media for news every day, and younger consumers in European countries are much more likely to use social networks for national political news than their older peers.
              Like it or not, reading news on social is fast becoming the norm for younger generations, and this form of news consumption will likely increase further regardless of whether consumers fully trust their chosen network or not.

In June 2024, adults in the United States spent an average of ** minutes on Facebook per day and ** minutes on Instagram. Overall, around ***** minutes per day were spent on Snapchat and ** minutes on TikTok. Moreover, TikTok saw much higher daily time spent by U.S. users aged between 18 and 24 than any other platform.

During a 2024 survey among marketers worldwide, approximately 83 percent selected increased exposure as a benefit of social media marketing. Increased traffic followed, mentioned by 73 percent of the respondents, while 65 percent cited generated leads.

              The multibillion-dollar social media ad industry

              Between 2019 – the last year before the pandemic – and 2024, global social media advertising spending skyrocketed by 140 percent, surpassing an estimated 230 billion U.S. dollars in the latter year. That figure was forecast to increase by nearly 50 percent by the end of the decade, exceeding 345 billion dollars in 2029. As of 2024, the social media networks with the most monthly active users were Facebook, with over three billion, and YouTube, with more than 2.5 billion.

              Pros and cons of GenAI for social media marketing

              According to another 2024 survey, generative artificial intelligence's (GenAI) leading benefits for social media marketing according to professionals worldwide included increased efficiency and easier idea generation. The third place was a tie between increased content production and enhanced creativity. All those advantages were cited by between 33 and 38 percent of the interviewees. As for GenAI's top challenges for global social media marketing,
              maintaining authenticity and the value of human creativity ranked first, mentioned by 43 and 40 percent of the respondents, respectively. Another 35 percent deemed ensuring the content resonates as an obstacle.

As of March 2020, social media users in the United States were staying online more. According to a survey of U.S. social media users, **** percent of respondents were using social media *** hours additional hours per day. A further **** percent used social media ** minutes to *** hour more than usual per day. Only *** percent of users were adding ******************** to their usage. Additional social media usage was a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which caused stay home orders and social distancing to be put in place in the country.