According to a survey conducted in the second quarter of 2022, global internet users aged between 16 and 24 spent *** hours and ** minutes with social media per day. At the same time they also spent *** hour and ** minutes with games consoles. Social media was the most time consuming media pastime for age groups 16 to 44, while internet user older than that spent more of their time watching linear TV.

According to data collected during the first quarter of 2020, adults aged 18 to 34 spent more time browsing the web via smartphone than any other age group in the United States. Overall media consumption was highest among adults aged 50 to 64 during that period. Traditional media Traditional media is gradually losing its appeal to younger, more tech-savvy generations. While television consumption is ******* among adults who have not grown up with the internet or other digital channels, young Millennials and Gen Z tend to prefer non-linear forms of news and entertainment. Data on the median age of media users in the U.S. showed that the average age of TV viewers and print magazine readers was higher than that of internet users in 2020, and similar generational trends can be observed in many digitally developed markets globally. Impact of COVID-19 on media usage The onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic boosted media consumption across the United States and worldwide in 2020. While the average time spent with traditional media ********* for the first time in over a decade, digital media consumption saw a particularly impressive spike that year due to remote working and schooling setups. In the following years, the gap between traditional and digital media consumption is expected to widen even further.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in Taiwan in May 2025, television was the leading form of media consumed by approximately ** percent of respondents. Social media was also among highly popular media types in Taiwan, favored mostly by those between 16 and 34 years of age.

Survey data collected in Canada, 2019. n = 1539. Using, Age, Facebook use and meme understanding to determine differences between demographics in relation to Instagram use

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in China in May 2025, cinema was the leading form of media consumed by approximately ** percent of respondents. Cinema was mostly chosen by 25 to 44 year olds, whereas respondents older than 54 years were the least likely to go to the cinema.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in Hong Kong in May 2025, television was the leading form of media consumed by approximately ** percent of respondents. A much higher share of older people chose TV as their most used media type compared to those below 25 years.

The purpose of the Common Sense Census is to gather reliable data about media use of young American children (ages 0-8), and document how children's media environments and behaviors change over time. This data was gathered from large-scale, nationally representative, probability-based online surveys taken in 2013 and 2017. Parents of children ages 0 to 8 answered questions about the activities or content their children enjoy (e.g., watching videos, reading), their home media environment (e.g., which devices they have), attitudes towards their children's media and media use, and awareness of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations. Demographic information includes the child's age, household income, parent education, race/ethnicity, gender, household size, and parent/caregiver employment status.

Media and entertainment spending patterns in the United States reveal intriguing age-related disparities. A late-2024 study found that Americans spent an average of 1,399 U.S. dollars annually on digital media and entertainment, a slight decrease from two years prior. Notably, consumers aged 35 to 54 outspent other age groups, allocating 1,610 U.S. dollars per year to digital media consumption. Generational differences in media spending The rise of digital platforms has transformed how different age groups consume media. While 66 percent of the general population spent less than 1,000 U.S. dollars on media and entertainment annually, this figure rose to 77 percent for those aged 55 and older. Interestingly, it is not the youngest age group that was ready to spend more on media subscriptions, services and products, but millennials - their annual expenses were more likely to reach up to 5,000 U.S. dollars. This disparity suggests that younger and older generations may be more frugal with their entertainment choices. Consumption follows similar age patterns The spending behavior is a direct result of how different generations consume media. Data on time spent with media types in the United States clearly suggest that millennials favor the more expensive ones - they devote more of their weekly hours to TV connected devices and video on a computer, as well as apps on tablets and internet on a computer. These media are the ones hosting the majority of subscription services - hence the increased spending outcomes. Younger and older generations in this case seem to spend more of their time with free entertainment sources.

According to a survey conducted in South Korea in 2024, around **** percent of respondents in their forties stated that they used online media. The usage rates of online media were very high across all age groups, with the lowest rate being **** percent among children and teenagers.

As revealed by a Rakuten Insight survey on media consumption in India conducted in 2025, the ********** was the most widely consumed medium among respondents across age groups, followed by social media. Respondents aged 55 years and above constituted the largest group that consumed traditional media such as television and print newspapers, indicated by 84 percent and 60 percent, respectively. Interestingly, search engines were most popular among Indian consumers aged 35 years and above.

Social media was by far the most popular news platform among 18 to 34-year-olds in the United States, with 47 percent of respondents to a survey held in August 2022 saying that they used social networks for news on a daily basis. By comparison, adults over 65 years old mostly used network news to keep up to date.

The decline of newspapers In the past, the reasons to regularly go out and purchase a print newspaper were many. Used not only for news but also apartment hunting, entertainment, and job searches (among other things), newspapers once served multiple purposes. This is no longer the case, with first television and then the internet taking care of consumer needs once covered by printed papers. Indeed, the paid circulation of daily weekday newspapers in the United States has fallen dramatically since the 1980s with no sign of future improvement.

News consumption habits

A survey on news consumption by gender found that 50 percent of women use either online-only news sites or social media for news each day, and 51 percent of male respondents said the same. Social media was by far the most used daily news platform among U.S. Millennials, and the same was true of Gen Z. One appeal of online news is that it often comes at no cost to the consumer. Paying for news found via digital outlets is not yet commonplace in the United States, with only 21 percent of U.S. consumers responding to a study held in early 2021 reporting having paid for online news content in the last year.

Almost ** percent of people in their thirties in Japan used news distributed by social media operators, such as LINE News, in fiscal year 2024. The share was lower among other age groups.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in China in May 2025, around ** percent of media consumers used media in order to stay informed. Older respondents, for example, those above 54 years, were especially inclined to use media as a source of information, with ** percent of people in this age group agreeing with this statement.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey on media consumption in India conducted in 2025, entertainment and leisure was the leading reason for media consumption among consumers between the ages of 16 and 54. Meanwhile, staying informed was the most popular reason cited by ** percent of consumers aged over 55. Consumers between 16 and 24 years old also constituted the largest group of respondents that consumed media for educational purposes.

In 2024, younger people dedicated considerably more time to social media than their older counterparts. Among 18 to 24-year-olds, nearly half spent between * and ** hours per week on social media, and roughly ** percent exceeded ** hours. In contrast, ** percent of individuals aged 45 to 54 limited their social media usage to less than **** hours per week. Generally, social media usage declines with age. This is likely because older generations are not digital natives and did not grow up immersed in the world of social media. Safe and social German internet users went on social media for a variety of reasons, whether for interactive purposes or not. ** percent used it to stay in touch with friends and family. This can happen via a built-in private messaging function that many social media apps have, as well as sharing or commenting on each other's content. Around ** percent also used social media for reading news stories, as this may offer quicker access and sometimes the desired shorter consumption format. As time has passed and social media has become firmly entrenched in the daily lives of younger generations, concerns are raised around the world about the long-term impact on mental health. International discussions on both government and user level were further fueled after Australia passed a social media ban for users aged under 16 years. This ban will take effect later in 2025. In the future Considering how widespread social media is and how easily accessible, especially from mobile devices, user numbers will likely only grow. This raises additional challenges, such as ensuring safe use among various age groups and preventing addictive behavior. Germany was actually further down on the list compared to other countries around the world in terms of the number of social network users. As of 2025, almost **** million social media users were active in the country, with close to 72 million predicted for 2030. This would be a significant development for a population of currently around ** million. Among European countries, social network penetration was highest in *****.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in Taiwan in May 2025, around ** percent of media consumers used media as a form of entertainment. Moreoever, the youngest respondents, those between the ages of 16 and 24, agreed with this statement the most.

This statistic shows data on the share of consumers who have increased their media consumption worldwide over the past two years as of October 2017, broken down by age group. During the survey, ** percent of Millennials stated that they increased their consumption of content from subscription streaming video services.

According to a survey by Rakuten Insight conducted in Indonesia in 2025, the most common reason for consuming media among respondents across age groups was ****************. Another common reason to consume media was for ************************* purposes.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey conducted in South Korea in 2025, ******************** was the most common reason for consuming media among respondents aged 45 years and older. In age groups younger than that, ************************* were more important. The most commonly consumed type of media that year was television.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in Hong Kong in May 2025, around ** percent of media consumers used media as a form of entertainment. Interestingly, those between the ages of 45 and 54 agreed with this statement the most.