As of the third quarter of 2024, internet users in the Philippines spent an average of 8.52 hours accessing the internet on various devices, according to a global survey. In terms of devices, most Filipinos have used their mobile phones to surf the web. Internet usage of Filipinos Being the population with the most time spent using the internet in the region, Filipino internet users have been taking advantage of the ease of communication and access to information and entertainment that the internet offers. Aside from just browsing the web, accessing social media has been popular among a large share of the Filipino population. As of the third quarter of 2023, Meta platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, along with TikTok, were the most used social media platforms in the country. These platforms were used to connect with friends and family, and to access news and information, stream video content, and find products and services to purchase. Level of internet security in the Philippines Since most activities have been digitalized, cybersecurity threats and online fraud have been a growing concern among internet users. In the Philippines, over 39 million web threats have been detected in 2022. Among those who shop on social media, product fraud was identified as the most common fraud type, along with non-delivery of products or services and payment fraud. To address this, the national government amended its cybersecurity laws to ensure better security of internet users in the Philippines.

As of the third quarter of 2024, Facebook was the most used social media platform in the Philippines, as stated by about 95 percent of respondents. Facebook Messenger follows, with about 93 percent of Filipinos stating they used the messaging app. Facebook as the top social media in the Philippines In the Philippines, Facebook is not only considered a social media platform, but also as a primary source of news and a platform for e-commerce companies to reach out to their potential consumers. It is perhaps unsurprising how the app dominated the social media market in the country, as seen in the growing number of Filipino Facebook users. Reasons for increasing social media usage As a country divided by over seven thousand islands, the constant need for interaction has been driving the growing number of social network users in the Philippines. This is also an important platform for families with members working overseas and those who have already emigrated abroad.

As of 2018, around 58 percent of internet users in the Philippines accessed the internet for personal reasons every day. The number of internet users in the Philippines has risen over ten years since 2009, more in certain regions than others. A survey in 2019 showed that about 64 percent of respondents in the National Capital Region were internet users, while places like the Visayas had nearly half. 

Social media penetration

Among the most commonly carried out online activities, Filipinos are known to spend the most time on social network sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. The use of social networking websites is so extensive in the country, and as of January 2020, the Philippines had an active social media user penetration of 67 percent. Because of this, the Philippines has been tagged as a social networking capital of the world. Consequently, the year 2019 saw a Facebook usage penetration rate of 97 percent in the country. 

Online video streaming

Besides keeping their social media accounts up to date, Filipinos also happen to be video streaming buffs. Netflix had the highest popularity rating in 2019 among internet users, followed by Amazon, leaving a wide margin. TV shows categorized under the drama and action/adventure genres were in high demand in that year. 

It was estimated that by 2029, over 95 million Filipinos will become social network users. Considering the forecasted population of around 119 million, this highlights the key role of social media among Filipino internet users.

Is the Philippines the social media capital?
The Philippines have been called the social media capital of the world because of their extraordinarily high usage time of about three hours per day. Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram have emerged as the leading platforms used monthly by Filipino internet users. Additionally, Filipinos were known as early technology adopters, as well as being highly internet-savvy.

How are the Philippines able to improve its accessibility?
While Filipino online users continue to ride the wave of internet trends, the current network infrastructure still needs improvement. The archipelago consists of around seven thousand islands, making it challenging for the government to provide basic connectivity for all. As of 2022, it was estimated that there were about 56 percent of Filipinos had internet access. Although this figure was seen to improve in the succeeding years, measures to speed up the internet connection speed in the Philippines should be laid out to cater to the population’s needs.

In the third quarter of 2024, internet users in the Philippines spent eight hours and 52 minutes per day using the internet. Contrastingly, internet users in Japan spent four hours and nine minutes on average using the internet per day in the same period.

According to a survey on social media usage in the Philippines in 2022, approximately 31 percent of respondents stated that they were mostly online during the night, after 8 PM. The same survey also revealed that the majority of Filipinos used social media as their main source of information.

How much time do people spend on social media? As of 2024, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 143 minutes per day, down from 151 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 three hours and 49 minutes on social media each day. In comparison, the daily time spent with social media in the U.S. was just two 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 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.

Facebook accounted for the highest share within the social media market in the Philippines in 2024. Video streaming platform, YouTube, follows at 24 percent. Demographics of Facebook users Over the years, the Philippines has been dominating the Facebook landscape, ranking among markets with the largest audience size. The platform's user demographic is mainly composed of users between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, although a fair share of older people also use Facebook. Over the years, the social media channel has moved beyond simply a platform to connect with other internet users but has also established online marketplaces for small-scale entrepreneurs as well as shaping political perspectives, especially during elections. Facebook advertising As Facebook grows within this select group of users, it prompts social media marketing or social advertising to use that time and screen space to promote various products and services. In fact, the Philippines was one of the largest Facebook advertising audiences in Asia in 2024, with almost an equal share of ad audiences across genders.

Internet users aged 16 to 64 in the Philippines spent an average of five hours and 21 minutes using mobile internet during the third quarter of 2024, just slightly higher than the same quarter of the previous year. The average daily time spent on mobile internet in the country peaked in the third quarter of 2020.

According to a survey conducted on the average hours spent online per day for personal use in the Philippines in 2020, internet users spent 5.2 hours a day on the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the same report, the average hours spent in the Philippines was highest compared to other countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In the Philippines, about 52 percent of the online shoppers belonged to the age group between 25 and 34 years old in 2018. Online shopping is one of the most popular online activities that Filipinos do, next to playing video games.   Internet usage  In a country like the Philippines, where locals spend an average of 10 hours a day online, e-commerce is at an advantage. The demographics of internet users, wherein the majority own a mobile device, increases the need for more connectivity in the e-commerce industry. As of the 3rd quarter of 2019, 91 percent of internet users searched for a product or service to buy and visited an online retail store on the web. Internet usage has affected not only the e-commerce business but has also benefited industries like media, telecommunications, and logistics. In terms of social media, the impact of e-commerce gave small enterprises a chance to create their brand on Facebook and Instagram. E-commerce expenditure  E-commerce expenditure on video games was highest among internet users in the Philippines at 741 million U.S. dollars in 2019. Moreover, electronics, physical media, fashion, and beauty were among the most popular product groups for internet users. E-commerce spending is attributed to a consumption-driven population. Its retail sales accounted for about one percent of the total retail sales in the country as of 2018. 

In a survey conducted by Ipsos in 2020, regarding whether or not respondents thought it likely that people would spend more time online than watching TV, 84 percent of respondents in the Philippines thought that people would spend more time online than watching TV in 2020. Contrastingly, for the same survey just 11 percent of the respondents in Malaysia thought it was unlikely that people would spend more time online than watching TV in 2020.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in the Philippines, 39 percent of surveyed online gamers stated spending between one to two hours on one gaming session as of April 2022. On the other hand, six percent of respondents said they played between more than five hours.

YouTube remains a popular video streaming platform in the Philippines. Over the years, television networks have chosen to air their shows and entertainment programs on their YouTube channels. In fact, as of September 2024, the two leading YouTube channels in the Philippines were ABS-CBN Entertainment and GMA Network, with roughly 49.3 million and 36.3 million subscribers, respectively. Why are television networks investing in their YouTube presence? With about 58 million users, YouTube has undoubtedly captured the Filipino audience, which spends most of their time watching online videos and vlogs. Next to Google and Facebook, YouTube was among the most visited websites in the Philippines. As the number of Filipino YouTube viewers continues to grow, multiple television networks have decided to maximize this by creating a channel for their popular shows alongside news broadcasts. This was particularly strategic for ABS-CBN after losing its network franchise in 2020. Instead of completely losing its audience share, the company uploaded full episodes of its entertainment shows and movies and created a separate channel for its news segment. Its entertainment channel has the highest number of video views on YouTube as of September 2024. The rise of Supernova creators YouTube can continue to expect growth in the Philippines, especially with the growing number of creators and vloggers in the country. As of the same period, the Philippines had one of the highest numbers of supernova creators on YouTube, or those with over 10 million followers. Among the leading creators in the Philippines were celebrities such as Ivana Alawi, Zeinab Harake, Vice Ganda, and Francine Diaz, alongside CongTV, Doc Willie Ong, and Small Laude.

As of February 2025, mobile internet users in the Philippines spent around five hours and 21 minutes daily on average using mobile internet. Comparatively, the daily average time spent using mobile internet in Japan was less than two hours.

According to a survey conducted by Ipsos in the Philippines, about 85 percent of the respondents stated that people would spend more time online than watch on the television in 2020. Only 14 percent of the surveyed respondents believed it was unlikely to happen.

During the first quarter of 2023, internet users in Brazil spent an average of three hours and 49 minutes per day on social media. Nigeria and the Philippines also reported high usage levels. By comparison, internet users in Japan spent less than 50 minutes per day on social media. Low levels of daily usage were also recorded in South Korea and the Belgium.

As of January 2023 social network Facebook was ranked first worldwide in terms of active users with almost three billion MAU. Other popular social media include mobile messaging platforms YouTube and WhatsApp, as well as social content sharing networks such as Instagram and social video platform TikTok.

Most social networks are accessible through multiple platforms, but many popular social media started out as mobile apps, demonstrating the growing trend of mobile first development. Examples include Instagram, which initially was launched as an iOS photo editing and discovery app as well as mobile social messenger, as well as TikTok, which recorded 23.7 million downloads worldwide via the Google Play Store alone in June 2023.

Social networking does not only enable users to connect with other people but also with brands and celebrities. Social media has also become a growing source of news for internet users in many countries.

Social media usage in the Asia-Pacific region varies significantly across countries, with the Philippines leading in daily time spent at three hours and 32 minutes in the third quarter of 2024. This was a stark contrast to Japan's 46 minutes per day. Penetration rates and user bases Among Asia Pacific countries, South Korea boasts the highest social media penetration at 93.4 percent, followed closely by Hong Kong at 86.2 percent. However, populous countries like Indonesia, China, and India show lower penetration rates, indicating significant growth potential. Despite this, China leads in absolute numbers with more than one billion active social media users, while India and Indonesia rank second and third in this category. These figures suggest that despite lower penetration rates in some countries, the sheer population size translates to massive user numbers. Platform preferences Facebook remains the dominant social media platform across Asia; however, competitors have gained ground in some markets. For example, Chinese network WeChat is the most popular platform in China, offering integrated services beyond social media. In Thailand and Laos, X (formerly Twitter) accounts for more than 70 percent of social media traffic.

Advertising is one of the most effective ways of promoting or marketing products available in the market. Media promotion, especially digital advertising, may lead to a greater audience reach. In 2023, the expenditure share of digital advertising was estimated at 59 percent of the total media ad spending. Changing audience preferenceOnline media and entertainment gradually taken over traditional media recently. With the popularity of social media and streaming platforms, many Filipino audiences have turned to such media. A recent survey has revealed that Filipinos spent over eight hours on average browsing the internet on all devices, followed by social media use and watching television. Social media advertising Daily, people spend a lot of time online and discover products through media posts through different channels. Another effective way of marketing is through social media, and digital buyers most likely find out about a brand through their Facebook account. With the number of internet users increasing to an estimate of 99 million in the Philippines in 2029, turning to social media for advertising may be more effective for B2C e-commerce.