Cristiano Ronaldo has one of the most popular Instagram accounts as of April 2024.

              The Portuguese footballer is the most-followed person on the photo sharing app platform with 628 million followers. Instagram's own account was ranked first with roughly 672 million followers.

              How popular is Instagram?

              Instagram is a photo-sharing social networking service that enables users to take pictures and edit them with filters. The platform allows users to post and share their images online and directly with their friends and followers on the social network. The cross-platform app reached one billion monthly active users in mid-2018. In 2020, there were over 114 million Instagram users in the United States and experts project this figure to surpass 127 million users in 2023.

              Who uses Instagram?

              Instagram audiences are predominantly young – recent data states that almost 60 percent of U.S. Instagram users are aged 34 years or younger. Fall 2020 data reveals that Instagram is also one of the most popular social media for teens and one of the social networks with the biggest reach among teens in the United States.

              Celebrity influencers on Instagram
              Many celebrities and athletes are brand spokespeople and generate additional income with social media advertising and sponsored content. Unsurprisingly, Ronaldo ranked first again, as the average media value of one of his Instagram posts was 985,441 U.S. dollars.

This data set belongs to:Beyens, I., Pouwels, J. L., van Driel, I. I., Keijsers, L., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2020). The effect of social media on well-being differs from adolescent to adolescent. Scientific Reports. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-67727-7The design, sampling and analysis plan of the study are available on the Open Science Framework (OSF) at https://osf.io/nhks2.For more information, please contact the authors at i.beyens@uva.nl or info@project-awesome.nl.

In 2024, children in the United Kingdom spent an average of *** minutes per day on TikTok. This was followed by Instagram, as children in the UK reported using the app for an average of ** minutes daily. Children in the UK aged between four and 18 years also used Facebook for ** minutes a day on average in the measured period. Mobile ownership and usage among UK children In 2021, around ** percent of kids aged between eight and 11 years in the UK owned a smartphone, while children aged between five and seven having access to their own device were approximately ** percent. Mobile phones were also the second most popular devices used to access the web by children aged between eight and 11 years, as tablet computers were still the most popular option for users aged between three and 11 years. Children were not immune to the popularity acquired by short video format content in 2020 and 2021, spending an average of ** minutes per day engaging with TikTok, as well as over ** minutes on the YouTube app in 2021. Children data protection In 2021, ** percent of U.S. parents and ** percent of UK parents reported being slightly concerned with their children’s device usage habits. While the share of parents reporting to be very or extremely concerned was considerably smaller, children are considered among the most vulnerable digital audiences and need additional attention when it comes to data and privacy protection. According to a study conducted during the first quarter of 2022, ** percent of children’s apps hosted in the Google Play Store and ** percent of apps hosted in the Apple App Store transmitted users’ locations to advertisers. Additionally, ** percent of kids’ apps were found to collect persistent identifiers, such as users’ IP addresses, which could potentially lead to Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) violations in the United States. In the United Kingdom, companies have to take into account several obligations when considering online environments for children, including an age-appropriate design and avoiding sharing children’s data.

Gen Z and Millennials are the biggest social media users of all age groups.

Introduction: Social media has become an integrated part of daily life, with an estimated 3 billion social media users worldwide. Adolescents and young adults are the most active users of social media. Research on social media has grown rapidly, with the potential association of social media use and mental health and well-being becoming a polarized and much-studied subject. The current body of knowledge on this theme is complex and difficult-to-follow. The current paper presents a scoping review of the published literature in the research field of social media use and its association with mental health and well-being among adolescents.Methods and Analysis: First, relevant databases were searched for eligible studies with a vast range of relevant search terms for social media use and mental health and well-being over the past five years. Identified studies were screened thoroughly and included or excluded based on prior established criteria. Data from the included studies were extracted and summarized according to the previously published study protocol.Results: Among the 79 studies that met our inclusion criteria, the vast majority (94%) were quantitative, with a cross-sectional design (57%) being the most common study design. Several studies focused on different aspects of mental health, with depression (29%) being the most studied aspect. Almost half of the included studies focused on use of non-specified social network sites (43%). Of specified social media, Facebook (39%) was the most studied social network site. The most used approach to measuring social media use was frequency and duration (56%). Participants of both genders were included in most studies (92%) but seldom examined as an explanatory variable. 77% of the included studies had social media use as the independent variable.Conclusion: The findings from the current scoping review revealed that about 3/4 of the included studies focused on social media and some aspect of pathology. Focus on the potential association between social media use and positive outcomes seems to be rarer in the current literature. Amongst the included studies, few separated between different forms of (inter)actions on social media, which are likely to be differentially associated with mental health and well-being outcomes.

90% of people aged 18-29 use social media in some form. 15% of people aged 23-38 admit that they are addicted to social media.

This database is comprised of 951 participants who provided self-report data online in their school classrooms. The data was collected in 2016 and 2017. The dataset is comprised of 509 males (54%) and 442 females (46%). Their ages ranged from 12 to 16 years (M = 13.69, SD = 0.72). Seven participants did not report their age. The majority were born in Australia (N = 849, 89%). The next most common countries of birth were China (N = 24, 2.5%), the UK (N = 23, 2.4%), and the USA (N = 9, 0.9%). Data were drawn from students at five Australian independent secondary schools. The data contains item responses for the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS; Spence, 1998) which is comprised of 44 items. The Social media question asked about frequency of use with the question “How often do you use social media?”. The response options ranged from constantly to once a week or less. Items measuring Fear of Missing Out were included and incorporated the following five questions based on the APS Stress and Wellbeing in Australia Survey (APS, 2015). These were “When I have a good time it is important for me to share the details online; I am afraid that I will miss out on something if I don’t stay connected to my online social networks; I feel worried and uncomfortable when I can’t access my social media accounts; I find it difficult to relax or sleep after spending time on social networking sites; I feel my brain burnout with the constant connectivity of social media. Internal consistency for this measure was α = .81. Self compassion was measured using the 12-item short-form of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-SF; Raes et al., 2011). The data set has the option of downloading an excel file (composed of two worksheet tabs) or CSV files 1) Data and 2) Variable labels. References: Australian Psychological Society. (2015). Stress and wellbeing in Australia survey. https://www.headsup.org.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/stress-and-wellbeing-in-australia-report.pdf?sfvrsn=7f08274d_4 Raes, F., Pommier, E., Neff, K. D., & Van Gucht, D. (2011). Construction and factorial validation of a short form of the self-compassion scale. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 18(3), 250-255. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.702 Spence, S. H. (1998). A measure of anxiety symptoms among children. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36(5), 545-566. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(98)00034-5

As of April 2024, around 16.5 percent of global active Instagram users were men between the ages of 18 and 24 years. More than half of the global Instagram population worldwide was aged 34 years or younger.

              Teens and social media

              As one of the biggest social networks worldwide, Instagram is especially popular with teenagers. As of fall 2020, the photo-sharing app ranked third in terms of preferred social network among teenagers in the United States, second to Snapchat and TikTok. Instagram was one of the most influential advertising channels among female Gen Z users when making purchasing decisions. Teens report feeling more confident, popular, and better about themselves when using social media, and less lonely, depressed and anxious.
              Social media can have negative effects on teens, which is also much more pronounced on those with low emotional well-being. It was found that 35 percent of teenagers with low social-emotional well-being reported to have experienced cyber bullying when using social media, while in comparison only five percent of teenagers with high social-emotional well-being stated the same. As such, social media can have a big impact on already fragile states of mind.

Dataset for a qualitative study conducted about young adults' reflections on their experiences of social media use during adolescence stage. To analyse the data,suitable themes and sub-themes were use.

In this post, I'll give you all the social media addiction statistics you need to be aware of to moderate your social media use.

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.

This data depicts young adults' reflections on their experiences of social media use during adolescence with the goal of better understanding the effects of social media use on a sample of South African adolescents. The study formed part of a group research project in which several researchers conducted individual studies countrywide on the topic. The goal of the study was to explore and describe young adults’ reflections on their experiences of social media use during adolescence, and the research question for the study was 'what are young adults’ reflections on their experiences of social media use during adolescence?'. The following research methodology was employed, a qualitative research approach; an interpretivist paradigm; the research was regarded as applied research and was guided by an instrumental case study design. The sample was selected by means of snowball and purposive sampling; data was collected by means of a semi-structured interview, with the use of an interview schedule; and thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the data that was obtained. The theoretical framework for this study was Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. The researcher interviewed 10 participants who fit the specific criteria for inclusion; the sample consisted of young adults living in South Africa, within the geographical area of the City of Tshwane. Participants were between the ages of 19 and 25 and gave an account of their reflections on their social media use between the ages of 11 and 18. Participants were also affected in terms of their biological development (i.e., physical, cognitive, emotional, social, moral as well as their identity development).

The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health: A Comprehensive Literature Review Research Hypothesis

Our research hypothesis is that excessive social media use is associated with negative mental health outcomes, particularly depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. This hypothesis is based on the growing body of literature suggesting a link between social media use and mental health issues, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Data and Findings

This comprehensive literature review synthesized findings from numerous studies investigating the relationship between social media use and mental health. The data was gathered through a systematic search of major databases, including PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science. The search strategy employed a combination of keywords and Boolean operators to identify relevant studies, focusing on research published within the past 10 years.

The review revealed a complex and multifaceted relationship between social media use and mental health. While some studies suggested a positive association, the majority of research indicated a negative correlation, supporting our initial hypothesis.

Notable Findings:

• Increased risk of depression and anxiety: Multiple studies found a positive correlation between excessive social media use and depressive symptoms, including feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and low self-esteem. Similarly, social media use was linked to increased levels of anxiety, potentially due to social comparison, cyberbullying, and fear of missing out (FOMO). • Sleep disturbances: Excessive social media use can disrupt sleep patterns, leading to insomnia, reduced sleep quality, and shortened sleep duration. Sleep deprivation can further exacerbate mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. • Social isolation and loneliness: While social media platforms aim to connect individuals virtually, they can paradoxically contribute to increased feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Excessive social media use can lead to a decrease in face-to-face interactions, resulting in a sense of isolation. • Cyberbullying: Social media platforms can facilitate cyberbullying, which can have severe psychological consequences, including increased anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. • Body image concerns: Social media platforms often present idealized and unrealistic portrayals of physical appearance, which can contribute to body image concerns and dissatisfaction.

As of January 2024, Instagram was slightly more popular with men than women, with men accounting for 50.6 percent of the platform’s global users. Additionally, the social media app was most popular amongst younger audiences, with almost 32 percent of users aged between 18 and 24 years.

              Instagram’s Global Audience

              As of January 2024, Instagram was the fourth most popular social media platform globally, reaching two billion monthly active users (MAU). This number is projected to keep growing with no signs of slowing down, which is not a surprise as the global online social penetration rate across all regions is constantly increasing.
              As of January 2024, the country with the largest Instagram audience was India with 362.9 million users, followed by the United States with 169.7 million users.

              Who is winning over the generations?

              Even though Instagram’s audience is almost twice the size of TikTok’s on a global scale, TikTok has shown itself to be a fierce competitor, particularly amongst younger audiences. TikTok was the most downloaded mobile app globally in 2022, generating 672 million downloads. As of 2022, Generation Z in the United States spent more time on TikTok than on Instagram monthly.

Teenagers are the 2nd largest group of people affected by social media addiction. Teens ages 13 to 18 years old spend a significant amount of their free time on social media with an average of 3 hours a day.

The study data were obtained through an online survey conducted in Finland and the UK to study social media, brands and its effects on young people aged 15–30. The online survey resulted in a total of 2,674 responses, all the corresponding respondents reported using social media. The data were gathered in the spring of 2019 through a survey company Suomen Online tutkimus utilizing an online panel. The data were anonymous, and consisted only of those individuals reporting to use social media. The data consists of multiple choice questions and open ended questions. Data was collected utilizing both established survey measurement tools (eg. social media attitude scale, parasocial interaction scale) and statements built especially for this data collection Data files will be published in 2023.

Exploring how young people engage with, share, and are influenced by news has long captivated academic interest. It is crucial for comprehending how young people are informed and develop critical thinking skills amid evolving media landscapes, and for predicting potential impacts on the industry and democracy. Given the increasing complexity of the news field, this paper conducts a systematic literature review from 2010 to 2022, focusing on journals within SCImago’s top 100 list for journalism, media, and communication. The review categorises the 232 academic papers based on origin, methods, and types of youth studied. First, this article systematises geographical origin, methods used, ages and types of youth studied in the 232 academic papers comprising the final sample. Second, it summarises key findings concerning how the most cited papers frame “youth” and “news”. Last, the article concludes by pointing out research gaps and possible future challenges. The study reveals that user studies are prominent, while production studies on news media reaching young people are scarce. There is a strong Western bias in current research, with a prevalence of U.S. college student survey studies. The terms “youth” and “news” lack in-depth exploration. This article discusses challenges arising from these findings.

This data set belongs to: Beyens, I., Keijsers, L., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2024). Development, validity, and reliability of the parent-adolescent communication about adolescents’ social media use scale (PACAS). Journal of Children and Media.

More information about the study is available on the Open Science Framework (OSF), including the preregistration of the design and sampling plan (https://osf.io/327cx/), the preregistration of the research questions, hypotheses and analysis plan ( https://osf.io/w7tc5/), and the syntax files (https://osf.io/p7vku/).

For more information, please contact the authors at i.beyens@uva.nl or info@project-awesome.nl.

Social media platforms are integral to people's lives, offering ways to communicate, create and view content and share information. According to Ofcom, approximately 89% of UK internet users in 2023 used social media apps or sites. Teenagers and young adults are the biggest users, although there is rapid uptake among older age groups. Advertising is the primary revenue source for social media platforms, although subscription-based services are gaining momentum as platforms seek to diversify their incomes. TikTok is the success story of the last few years, becoming the most downloaded app between 2020 and 2022, according to Apptopia. The short-form video platform reported that it averaged revenue growth of over 450% between 2019 and 2022. After Musk's takeover, X, formerly known as Twitter, adjusted its content moderation and allowed previously banned accounts to return. As a result, over 600 advertisers have pulled their ads from the site because of fears their brand may be associated with malcontent. In response to falling ad revenue, X has introduced a subscription-based service which enables users to verify themselves and boosts the number of people who view their tweets. Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram have responded by introducing a similar service. Revenue is expected to grow by 14.3% in 2024-25, constrained by a slowdown in user growth for most major social media platforms. Over the five years through 2024-25, revenue is forecast to expand at a compound annual rate of 32.8% to reach £9.8 billion. Looking forward, regulations relating to how data is collected, stored, and shared will force advertisers and platforms to rethink how they can target their desired demographics. The rising prominence of AI will require the introduction of adequate regulations. The Online Safety Bill sets out new guidelines for social media platforms to abide by, with hefty fines in store for those who do not. Operating costs will swell as platforms look to meet consumers’ expectations, weighing on profit. Over the five years through 2029-30, social media platforms' revenue is projected to climb at an estimated 9.4% to reach £15.4 billion.

As of February 2025, 5.56 billion individuals worldwide were internet users, which amounted to 67.9 percent of the global population. Of this total, 5.24 billion, or 63.9 percent of the world's population, were social media users. Global internet usage Connecting billions of people worldwide, the internet is a core pillar of the modern information society. Northern Europe ranked first among worldwide regions by the share of the population using the internet in 20254. In The Netherlands, Norway and Saudi Arabia, 99 percent of the population used the internet as of February 2025. North Korea was at the opposite end of the spectrum, with virtually no internet usage penetration among the general population, ranking last worldwide. Eastern Asia was home to the largest number of online users worldwide – over 1.34 billion at the latest count. Southern Asia ranked second, with around 1.2 billion internet users. China, India, and the United States rank ahead of other countries worldwide by the number of internet users. Worldwide internet user demographics As of 2024, the share of female internet users worldwide was 65 percent, five percent less than that of men. Gender disparity in internet usage was bigger in African countries, with around a ten percent difference. Worldwide regions, like the Commonwealth of Independent States and Europe, showed a smaller usage gap between these two genders. As of 2024, global internet usage was higher among individuals between 15 and 24 years old across all regions, with young people in Europe representing the most significant usage penetration, 98 percent. In comparison, the worldwide average for the age group 15–24 years was 79 percent. The income level of the countries was also an essential factor for internet access, as 93 percent of the population of the countries with high income reportedly used the internet, as opposed to only 27 percent of the low-income markets.