As of September 2023, 29 percent of Facebook users in the United States were aged 30 to 39 years, while a further 29 percent of users were aged 50 to 64 years, making these demographics the biggest audiences of the online network in the country. Meta’s Instagram was also popular among users aged 30 to 39 years, who accounted for 32 percent of the audience of the photo-based platform, while those aged 18 to 29 years accounted for another third of the network’s U.S. users. Overall, TikTok and Snapchat were the most popular social media platforms amongst younger audiences, while LinkedIn was the least used platform by those aged 18 to 29 in the United States as of 2023.

The social media market in the United States

The number of social media users in the United States has shown continuous growth in the past years, and it is forecast to continue increasing to reach 342 million users in 2029. As of 2023, the social network user penetration in the United States amounted to an impressive 91.56 percent, meaning that more than nine in ten people in the country engaged with online platforms. Furthermore, Facebook was by far the most popular social media platform in the United States, accounting for 45 percent of all social media visits in 2023, followed by Pinterest with 21.2 percent of visits.

The global social media landscape

As of April 2024, 5.07 billion people were social media users, accounting for 62.6 percent of the world’s population. Northern Europe was the region with the highest social media penetration rate with a reach of 80.2 percent, followed by Western Europe with 78.2 percent and Eastern Asia 74.9 percent. In contrast, less than one in ten people in Middle Africa used social networks. Facebook’s popularity is not limited to the United States: this network leads the market on a global scale, and it accumulated more than three billion monthly active users (MAU) as of 2024, which is far more any other social media platform. 272014 YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp followed, all with two billion or more MAU.

As of January 2021, 14.8 percent of female social media users and approximately 19.3 percent of male social media users in Indonesia were between the ages of 25 and 34 years old. The 13 to 44 year old age group has the largest share of audience and is most notable for marketers who plan on reaching out to them.

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

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.

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

In 2024, over 92 percent of internet users aged between 16 and 34 years surveyed in Brazil stated that they used social media. Approximately four out of five responding internet users in Brazil said they were on social media.

In 2024, younger individuals dedicated considerably more time to social media than their older counterparts. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, nearly half spent between six and 20 hours per week on social platforms, and roughly 16 percent exceeded 20 hours. In contrast, 43 percent of individuals aged 45 to 54 limited their social media usage to less than five hours per week. In general, social media usage declines with age, likely because older generations, unlike their younger counterparts, are not digital natives and did not grow up immersed in the world of social media.

Global ad spend were expected to reach over $134 billion in 2022. This means that it has increased by over 17% yearly.

In the United States, Gen Z are the most likely to search for product information through social media platforms. According to a survey conducted in 2023, over a third (35 percent) of U.S. shoppers between 18 and 26 years old start the purchasing process through this shopping channel.

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.

Between October 2020 and March 2021, users aged between 40 and 44 years were the demographic spending the largest amount of time engaging with social media apps, with an average of 59.85 minutes per day. Global users aged 19 or younger spent the least amount of time on social media apps, while users aged 50 years or older spent approximately 56.43 minutes per day on social media apps.

In 2023, 88 percent of individuals aged 12 to 17 years in France reported using social media primarily for entertainment, while 82 percent used it to maintain connections with their loved ones. Among those aged 18 to 24 years, 44 percent engaged with social media to meet new people.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey conducted in Thailand in February 2023, about 73 percent of respondents aged 35 to 44 years stated that they made most of their purchases via Facebook in the last 12 months. Meanwhile, the younger Thais chose to buy their products through TikTok, as 63 percent of the respondents aged 16 to 24 stated.

As of March 2020, a survey on parenting in the United States revealed that less than one percent of parents believe their child aged 0 to 2 years old should be able to begin using social media sites. In comparison, 34 percent of U.S. parents believe it is acceptable for their child to begin using social media sites at ages 12 to 14, and 44 percent believe it is acceptable to begin using at ages 15-17.

In 2024, around 74.7 percent of social media users in Thailand were between 18 to 24 years old. In comparison, only 1.2 percent of users were 55 years and above. Social media has become a very prominent form of online communication among Thais.

According to a survey conducted in South Korea in 2023, around 96 percent of respondents aged between 18 and 24 years old stated that they were using social media. The share of social media users increased across most age groups compared to the previous year. Facebook and Instagram While domestic social media networks like Kakao Story or Naver Band enjoy wide popularity in South Korea, Instagram was the most frequently used social media in South Korea, overtaking Facebook. As of March 2024, Instagram had around 23.9 million users, while Facebook had about 27.4 million users in South Korea alone. Nevertheless, the popularity of Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, is undeniable, especially among younger generations. While the number of Facebook users is decreasing, the number of Instagram users is increasing. Social media usageThe majority of users were using social media for its original purpose: socializing. It was also popular to check posts or contents created by other users of the same social media platform. A 2024 survey found that 55 percent of respondents aged 25 to 34 years stated that they used social media to read news. While the platform of choice differed, YouTube was the most common social media platform used for news.

As of September 2024, 46 percent of social media users in the United Kingdom were aged between 30 to 49 years. Overall, one-quarter of social network users in the UK were aged 18 to 29 years. Over 20 percent of social media users in the UK stated that Facebook was their favorite social media platform.

An online survey conducted in November 2023 in the United States found that 56 percent of internet users aged 18 to 29 years thought that social media was a good thing for society. In contrast, 22 percent of respondents between 30 and 44 years felt that social media had a bad impact on society, as did 38 percent of those aged 45 to 64. Overall, only 12 percent of survey respondents aged 65 years and over thought that social media was a good thing for society.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in Hong Kong in 2023 on social commerce, among respondents aged 35 to 44, Facebook was the most used social media for online purchasing during the last 12 months. In contrast, Instagram was more popular among respondents under the age of 25.

As of July 2024, 64 percent of social media users aged 18 to 19 years in France used social media to send private messages, compared to 62 percent of users aged 30 tp 39 years. Using social media to send messages was also the most popular social media activity among those aged 50 to 64 years.