According to a survey conducted among consumers in the United States in June 2023, ** percent of respondents reported not being interested in using an app or an app extension to limit the time they spent on social media. In comparison, less than *** in ** respondents reported they were using one. Similarly, intended usage interested only *** in ** U.S. respondents as of the examined period.

It starts with a familiar flick of the thumb. A notification pops up during breakfast, a reel plays in the background while brushing teeth, and before we know it, half the morning has disappeared into a scroll. This isn’t just anecdotal, it’s a digital behavior woven into the daily routine...

According to a survey conducted in January 2025, 54 percent of parents in the United States (U.S.) strongly favored the requirement of age verification on social media platforms to prevent users aged under 16 years from using such platforms. Another 28 percent were somewhat supportive of social media policies limiting young users from joining the platform.

As of January 2025, ** percent of social media users in the United States aged 40 to 49 years were users of Facebook, as were ** percent of ** to ** year olds in the country. Overall, ** percent of those aged 18 to 29 years were using Instagram in the U.S. 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 *** million users in 2029. As of 2023, the social network user penetration in the United States amounted to an impressive ***** 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 ** percent of all social media visits in 2023, followed by Pinterest with **** percent of visits. The global social media landscape As of April 2024, **** billion people were social media users, accounting for **** percent of the world’s population. Northern Europe was the region with the highest social media penetration rate with a reach of **** percent, followed by Western Europe with **** percent and Eastern Asia **** 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. YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp followed, all with *** billion or more MAU.

In 2008, the average human attention span was 12 seconds. Fast forward to 2025, and many studies suggest it's now hovering around 8 seconds, shorter than that of a goldfish. It’s no coincidence that during this same period, social media platforms surged to dominate how we consume content. Whether you're...

In 2022, ******* was the most used social platform among children and teenagers in the United Kingdom, with ** percent of respondents stating that they had used the service. ******** ranked second, with ** percent of kids and teens in the UK being active on the platform. Additionally, usage of TikTok and Snapchat increased from 2021 to 2021 among those aged three to 17 in the UK. Youth accounts on the rise again From ** percent in 2012, the share of children aged 12 to 15 years of age with a social media account fell to ** percent in 2018, but increased again in 2020, peaking at ** percent. Despite some major social networks setting minimum age limits in their terms of service, ** percent of children aged 5 to 7 years had a social media account in 2020, according to Ofcom. Facebook falling out of favor with teens Among teens and young adults in the United States, Youtube and Instagram had a higher reach than any other social network, slightly ahead of Facebook and Snapchat. When you remove young adults from the picture, Snapchat is clearly the most important social network and Facebook barely comes into the equation. Since the Fall/Autumn period of 2017, less than ten percent of teens in the United States said Facebook was their most important social network, compared with more than ** percent of teens who nominated Snapchat. The new hot trend among Gen Z is TikTok, selected by ** percent of respondents and ranking second.

In 2023, nine percent of internet users in France aged 12 years and older reported that they voluntarily limit their use of digital technologies due to their rejection of technologies. Additionally, 10 percent of respondents expressed a lack of interest in digital technology, finding it to have little or no usefulness for them. In contrast, 53 percent of internet users in France reported no specific reason for their limited usage of digital technologies.

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.

Many have argued that digital technologies such as smartphones and social media are addictive. We develop an economic model of digital addiction and estimate it using a randomized experiment. Temporary incentives to reduce social media use have persistent effects, suggesting social media are habit forming. Allowing people to set limits on their future screen time substantially reduces use, suggesting self-control problems. Additional evidence suggests people are inattentive to habit formation and partially unaware of self-control problems. Looking at these facts through the lens of our model suggests that self-control problems cause 31 percent of social media use.

How many people use social media? Social media usage is one of the most popular online activities. In 2025, over *** billion people were estimated to be using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to over *** billion in 2030. 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 ** percent. This figure is anticipated to grow as less 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. The mobile-first market of 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 *** minutes per day on social media and messaging apps, an increase of ** 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 *** billion registered accounts and currently boasts approximately *** 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.

This study examined the experiences of Canadian undergraduate students accessing mental healthcare between November 2022 to February 2023. We specifically assessed the impact of social determinants of health (i.e., gender, socioeconomic status, immigration status, English as a second language). Participants were recruited through social media platforms and by undergraduate program administrators at Canadian universities. Participants were asked to provide demographic information, answer questions about their experiences accessing mental healthcare, and to complete the mental health continuum short form (MHC-SF). Descriptive statistics and linear regression models were used to assess the association between MHC-SF and social determinants of health (e.g.: demographics, language, immigration status). Of 1098 students invited to participate, 365 participants completed the study (completion rate: 33.2%). Their mean age (SD) was 21.4 (4.6) years; 73.6% were female and 45.7% identified as non-White. Overall, the mean (SD) MHC-SF score of participants was 2.36 (0.99) out of 5. Students with low SES had lower MHC-SF scores (mean 2.08 vs 2.45; p = 0.003). The multivariable analysis showed that low SES (β -0.36; 95%CI: -0.60 to -0.12) and female gender (β -0.29; 95%CI: -0.58 to -0.012) were associated with lower MHC-SF scores. Additionally, being White was associated with higher MHC-SF scores (β -0.29; 95%CI: -0.44 to 0.54). Age, English as a second language, and immigration status were not significant predictors of mental health. High levels of stress, negative perceptions of the mental healthcare system, and limited access were the more common reported themes in the qualitative analysis. In our cohort, university students from across Canada had low MHC scores. Social determinants of health (e.g., low SES, being non-White, and identifying as a woman) were independent predictors of low MCH scores. Further studies are needed to identify specific groups at higher risk as well as strategies to overcome the suboptimal mental health among Canadian students.

The first General Social Survey was designed to monitor changes in the health of Canadians and to examine social support for persons 55 years and older. Topics include: barriers and bridges to improving health status (smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, etc.); current health status (happiness, activity limitation, health problems, etc.); and support networks and social participation of the elderly.

According to a May 2022 survey conducted in the United States, only 29 percent of alternative social media news consumers thought that tech companies should take steps to restrict offensive content even if it limited freedom of speech, whilst 70 percent favored the protection of free speech. Overall, 45 percent of the of the general population felt tech companies should restrict offensive content even if it limited freedom of speech.

According to a November 2022 survey, ** percent of adults in the United States said that limiting fake news was a major reason for trusting the social media platforms that they used. Additionally, ********* of respondents said that their friends or family using the platform was a major reason they trusted the online networks of their choice. Moreover, ** percent of users reported fewer adverts as a major reason for trusting social media platforms, whilst ** percent stated this was a minor reason.

Among social media platforms being used during the coronavirus pandemic, ******** was the most used with **** percent of adults in the United States using the platform as of March 2020. The second-most used platform was Instagram, with **** percent of U.S. adults using the image sharing social platform. However, *** percent of responding adults stated that they were not using social media. Social networks are a popular method to stay in touch with friends and family amidst social distancing directives during the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.

According to a survey on social media usage in Indonesia conducted in February 2022, Facebook was the most used social media platform among Indonesian users, as stated by approximately **** percent of respondents. Instagram came in second place, with almost ** percent of respondents using the platform. Indonesia’s digital environment Indonesia is one of the leading mobile-first nations in Asia, boasting more than *** million smartphone users as of 2022. As mobile internet penetration grows across the country, the demand for affordable data prices, greater coverage, and improved quality of service is also increasing. In 2021, 5G mobile technology was launched and gradually introduced in Indonesia. Telkomsel was the first Indonesian internet provider to have rolled out commercial 5G services in some areas of the country, followed by Indosat (IOH) and XL. These operators are now working to expand their 5G data service coverage across the country. Social media as a marketing tool Social media is no longer limited to personal use; many businesses have incorporated social media into their business operations. Having an influencer marketing or social commerce strategy is now considered key in a country with an average daily time spent on social media reaching up to * hours and ** minutes. A recent survey found that around ** percent of social media users in Indonesia would search for more information on the brand or product being endorsed when exposed to influencer marketing content.

In 2024, Facebook had the largest market share among other social media platforms in Indonesia, at around ** percent. However, Facebook's popularity may soon be outpaced by other social media platforms due to growing competition. Indonesia’s social media landscape With active social media users of more than *** million, Indonesia ranked fourth among the countries with the highest number of social media users worldwide. As of the third quarter of 2024, WhatsApp had the largest social media penetration rate in Indonesia of about ** percent. Other social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are also gaining popularity as an increasing number of Indonesian social media users are actively using those platforms. Social media for business purposes The use of social media is no longer limited to communicating and interacting with friends and family. Many businesses have turned to social media as part of their marketing strategies. One of these strategies includes collaborating with an influencer to promote their products and increase their customer reach. A recent finding revealed that ** percent of Indonesian social media users had purchased an item because of influencer endorsement. Trust in the influencer and being convinced by their promotions are among the leading reasons for purchasing endorsed products.

Growing digitalization efforts combined with low data prices enabled a significant number of people to use the internet actively across India. Of these, about *** million were active social media users. WhatsApp and Instagram accounted for the largest penetration, at over ** percent and over nearly ** percent respectively in the third quarter of 2024. The rise of Facebook in India Hyderabad became the first Asian Facebook office registered under “Facebook India Online Services Private Limited” in 2010. The steady growth of the social network did not come without controversies. One of the most opposed collaborations that Facebook founded was internet.org, especially in India. The partnership with Reliance communications in 2015 caused controversy and was banned later that year. In recent years, the rise of fake news and its impact on politics has brought responsibility and content moderation to the forefront.   YouTube – the video-sharing social platform counterpart YouTube was largely inspired by two events according to one of its founders – one of which was the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The idea was the make sharing and finding videos easily available. YouTube consumption in India sky-rocketed with the Indian Premier League match streaming in 2010 with over *** billion views per day. Of course, this doubled with each season of the IPL thereafter. Furthermore, music videos were highly popular in the country. The evidence lies in the subscription growth of the music record label T-Series’ YouTube channel.