Social media has become an integral part of daily life, with millions of people around the world spending a significant amount of their time on various platforms. Recent studies reveal that the average person now spends around 2 hours and 21 minutes per day.
The rise of mobile devices, the increase in remote work, and the growing influence of platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook all contribute to this ever-evolving trend.
This article presents the latest statistics and insights into social media usage and time spent on these platforms.
Average Time Spend On Social Media: Top Picks 2026
- People spend an average of 2 hours and 21 minutes per day on social media.
- Over 5.66 billion (68.7% of the population) use social media.
- The average American spends around 2 hours and 9 minutes per day on social media.
- Users spend 18 hours and 36 minutes every week on social media.
- Filipinos lead in social media usage, spending an average of 3 hours and 38 minutes daily.
- U.S. adults aged 18 to 24 spend the most time on social media, with an average of 186 minutes daily.
- TikTok is the most used social media platform.
- American women are more likely to use social media than men.
How Much Time Do People Spend on Social Media?
An average individual spends between 2 hours and 21 minutes daily on social media. This time has remained almost steady over the past few years.
How Much Time Do People Spend On Social Media Per Day?
On average, people spend about 141 minutes a day on social media – that’s roughly 2 hours and 21 minutes of scrolling, chatting, and browsing.
Interestingly, this time has dropped by 2 minutes compared to 2024, when the average was 2 hours and 24 minutes.
Note: The average time spent on social media can slightly vary based on the research and source.
The following table displays the average time people spend daily on Social media.
| Year | Average Time Spent on Social Media |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 141 minutes |
| 2024 | 143 minutes |
| 2023 | 151 minutes |
| 2022 | 147 minutes |
| 2021 | 145 minutes |
| 2020 | 145 minutes |
| 2019 | 145 minutes |
| 2018 | 142 minutes |
| 2017 | 134 minutes |
| 2016 | 128 minutes |
| 2015 | 111 minutes |
Source: Statista
How Many Times Per Day Does The Average Person Check Social Media?
In February 2024, U.S. adults aged 18 to 24 spent an average of 186 minutes daily on social media, whereas those aged 65 and above spent around 102 minutes per day on these platforms.
According to GWI, the average social media user engages with about 6.84 different platforms per month and spends roughly 18 hours and 46 minutes per week on social media. This translates to about 2 hours 41 minutes per day of usage.
Around 36% Of The Time Spent On Mobile Is Reserved For Social Media Apps
Although Facebook leads in monthly active users, TikTok and YouTube capture the most attention when it comes to time spent per user. In the U.S., people spend more time on TikTok and YouTube than on Facebook.
According to the reports from DataReportal, the average time spent on Android apps on TikTok is 34 hours per month, followed by YouTube with 28 hours and 5 minutes.
The average American spends about 6 hours and 40 minutes per day on internet-connected devices, including phones, computers, and tablets.
Source: DataReportal
What Is The Average Time An American Spends Consuming Media In A Week?
Recent data indicates that the average American spends about 6 hours and 40 minutes per day consuming media on internet-connected devices. This equates to over 46 hours per week. This number includes time spent on social media, streaming video, music, and other online activities.
The average American spends around 2 hours and 9 minutes (129 minutes) per day on social media.
Source: DataReportal, Exploding Topics, Backlinko
Average Time Spent on Social Media Per Day By Age
People aged between 18-24 in the United States use social media the most, with a total of 186 minutes per day.
Second rank adults aged between 25-34, spending 140 minutes per day. Besides, adults older than 65 use social media the least, with just 102 per day.
| Age Group | Time Spent per Day |
|---|---|
| 18–24 | 186 minutes |
| 25–34 | 140 minutes |
| 35–44 | 127 minutes |
| 45–54 | 130 minutes |
| 55–64 | 128 minutes |
| 65+ | 102 minutes |
Source: Statista
Average Time Spent On Social Media By Gender
On average, females in their teenage years spend the most time on social media.
Let’s take a detailed look at the time spent by different demographics on social media apps.
How Much Time Do Teens Spend On Social Media?
Teens spend an average of 4.8 hours on social media per day.
Furthermore, 51% of teenagers in the United States spend at least four hours a day on social media apps like YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
The average time teens spend on social media ranges from 4.1 to 5.8 hours per day.
Additionally, the same survey indicates that teenage girls spend 5.3 hours daily on social media, while boys spend 4.4 hours.
The following table displays the average daily hours spent on social media by US teens of different ages.
| Age | Average Hours Per Day Spent on Social Media |
|---|---|
| 13 | 4.1 |
| 14 | 4.5 |
| 15 | 5.1 |
| 16 | 4.9 |
| 17 | 5.8 |
| 18 | 5.0 |
| 19 | 4.5 |
Source: Gallup.
American Women Are Far More Likely To Use Social Media Than Their Male Counterparts
78% of the women reported using social media compared to 66% of men.
Globally, the gender split of social media users is 53.6% men and 46.4% women.
Women are more active on visually driven and connection-focused platforms, such as Instagram and Pinterest. At the same time, men tend to gravitate toward information-oriented or gaming-related platforms, including YouTube, Reddit, and X (formerly Twitter). These differences in platform preference, rather than broad personality traits, account for the usage gap observed in certain regions.
Note: While American women use social media more than men, this is not a global trend. Data from reliable sources shows that globally, men constitute a slightly larger share of social media users. It’s important to differentiate between regional and global trends.
Source: Luisazhou, Backlinko.
Time Spent On Social Media By Region
The time spent by people on social media varies from region to region. People mostly use social media to chat and connect with family and friends.
This section covers the average time people spend on social media in various countries and regions worldwide.
Filipinos Spend The Most Time On Social Media Per Day, With An Average Of 3 Hours And 38 Minutes Per Day
The country also spends the highest time on their phones, accounting for 5 hours and 47 minutes on smartphones.
Indonesia closely follows the Philippines in social media usage, with 3 hours and 14 minutes spent by the residents on Social media.
The following table displays the countries that spend the most time on social media.
| Country | Time Spent on Social Media |
|---|---|
| Philippines | 3 hours 38 minutes |
| Indonesia | 3 hours 14 minutes |
| Malaysia | 2 hours 52 minutes |
| Thailand | 2 hours 35 minutes |
| India | 2 hours 29 minutes |
| Vietnam | 2 hours 17 minutes |
| Singapore | 2 hours 11 minutes |
| China | 2 hours 04 minutes |
| New Zealand | 2 hours 04 minutes |
| Hong Kong | 1 hour 53 minutes |
| Australia | 1 hours 53 minutes |
Source :Statista
South American People Spend 3 hours and 24 minutes Daily On Social Media
This is the highest amount of time users spend on social media across all regions.
South Americans are closely followed by Africans, with an average social media usage of 3 hours and 10 minutes.
Europeans comparatively spend less time on social media than people from other regions.
Here is a table displaying the average time spent by people on social media across different regions.
| Region | Average Time Spent by People on Social Media |
|---|---|
| North America | 2 hours and 09 minutes |
| South America | 3 hours and 24 minutes |
| Africa | 3 hours and 10 minutes |
| Europe | 1 hour and 48 minutes |
| Asia/ Oceania | 2 hours and 16 minutes |
Source: Broadband Search
Time Spent On Social Media By Platform
TikTok is the most engaging social media platform, with users spending most of their daily time on it. Other most engaging social media platforms are Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
Time spent on different social media platforms varies according to the users’ preferences and the platform’s engagement level.
Time Spent On Facebook
This section provides details about the time spent by users on Facebook.
How Many People Use Facebook Daily?
Facebook has around 3.07 billion monthly active users, making it one of the most popular social media platforms worldwide. This is a 3% increase from 2022, when it had 2.96 billion MAUs.
Source: DemandSage
Users Spend Almost 20 Hours A Month On Facebook
Facebook users worldwide spend an average of 35 minutes daily on the platform. That means users spend an average of 19.42 hours monthly on Facebook, making it the third most engaging social media app.
Source: Social Pilot.
Facebook Users In The United States Spend An Average Of 30 to 35 Minutes Daily On The Platform
Americans spent 20% less time on Facebook than they did five years ago, in 2017. Overall, today, they spend 39 30-35 minutes per day on Facebook every day.
The following table displays the time Americans spend daily on Facebook.
| Year | Time Spent on Facebook |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 30 to 35 Minutes |
| 2022 | 33 minutes |
| 2021 | 33 minutes |
| 2020 | 35 minutes |
| 2019 | 33 minutes |
| 2018 | 36 minutes |
| 2017 | 39 minutes |
Source: Exploding topics, Statista.
Time Spent On YouTube
The average daily time spent on YouTube is 19 minutes 39 seconds.
Meanwhile, an average person in the United States spends 48.7 minutes per day on YouTube.
Comparatively, the average time spent on YouTube in 2023 was 47.5 minutes per day.
In 2019, the average time spent on YouTube was recorded to be 39.7 minutes per day, which increased to 43.7 minutes in 2020.
Above all, the average time spent on YouTube increased by 22.67% between 2019 and 2024.
The following table displays the time Americans spend on YouTube.
| Year | Time Spent on YouTube |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 48.7 minutes |
| 2023 | 47.5 minutes |
| 2022 | 46.2 minutes |
| 2021 | 45 minutes |
| 2020 | 43.7 minutes |
| 2019 | 39.7 minutes |
Time Spent On TikTok
Americans spend an average of 58.4 minutes daily on TikTok.
In 2019, Americans spent just 27.4 minutes a day on the platform. However, it increased to 38.6 minutes in 2020. That’s a 40.9% rise in just one year.
TikTok is one of the most engaging social media platforms, and most users spend hours every day just scrolling through the app.
The following table displays the time spent by Americans over the years on TikTok.
| Year | Time Spent by Americans on TikTok |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 58.4 minutes |
| 2023 | 55.8 minutes |
| 2022 | 52 minutes |
| 2021 | 45.3 minutes |
| 2020 | 38.6 minutes |
| 2019 | 27.4 minutes |
Time Spent On Instagram
The average time spent on Instagram is 32.4 minutes per day worldwide.
Specifically in the US, people spend an average of 33.1 minutes on Instagram per day.
Over 500 million Instagram users checked the app at least once daily.
Source: Backlinko
Time Spent On WhatsApp
Users spend an average of 33.5 minutes daily on WhatsApp.
Besides, on average, WhatsApp users spend 16 hours and 45 minutes monthly on the app.
This is a decline from 34.6 minutes per day or 17 hours and 18 minutes per month, as recorded in 2022.
Recent figures show that Americans typically spend between 4.2 and 7.6 hours on WhatsApp each month, averaging about 8 to 15 minutes per day. However, it’s worth noting that the U.S. is not a primary market for WhatsApp, unlike countries such as Brazil or India.
Source: Backlinko, worldpopulationreview
Time Spent On Pinterest
In August 2025, Pinterest received 1.371 billion total visits, a 3.48% increase from the previous month. At the same time, the data shows that a user spends an average of 14.2 minutes per session.
Source: Similarweb
Time Spent On Twitter
An average Twitter user spends 32 minutes per day on the app.
Further, an average American spends 3.7 hours per month on Twitter.
Source: Hootsuite.
Time Spent On Snapchat
An average user spends around 31 minutes per day on Snapchat.
It is the world’s 5th most popular messaging app and the 12th most popular social media app.
Over 5 billion snaps are created daily.
An average daily active user on Snapchat opens the app’s camera more than 20 times daily.
Source: The Social Shepherd
Time Spent On LinkedIn
Users spend an average of 51 minutes per month globally on LinkedIn.
In August 2025, LinkedIn received a total of 1.793 billion visits, which is 4.24%, slightly down from the previous month.
As per SimilarWeb data, the average session duration was 7 minutes and 41 seconds.
Source: Data Reportal
Health Effects Of Spending Too Much Time On Social Media
More time spent on social media affects the mental health of users. They develop a sense of missing out (FOMO) and lower self-esteem. At times, excessive usage of social media may also lead to depression and anxiety due to cyberbullying, negative comments, and more.
People Who Spend More Than 3 Hours Per Day On Social Media Face Double The Risk Of Experiencing Poor Mental Health Outcomes
Recent studies display that social media addiction and mental health issues are correlated and are a bigger concern for teen social media users.
There is a greater relative concern of harm in adolescent girls and teens with poor mental health. Increased usage of Social media leads to various other negative health outcomes, like body image and disordered eating behaviors, cyberbullying-related depression, and poor sleep quality.
Source: US Surgeon General’s Advisory.
Excessive Social Media Use Has Had Negative Effects On Mental Health And Well-Being
According to 50% of the users, excessive usage of social media negatively impacts their mental health.
Using social media for a long time also harms adults. Many adults who excessively use social media reported facing symptoms of depression and lack of sleep.
Other major effects that adults experience due to excessive use of social media are:
- Increase loneliness
- Lower self-esteem
- Increase fear of missing out
- Causes depressive symptoms
- Decrease subjective well-being and life satisfaction
Source: Forbes.
This section includes the general statistics related to social media and smartphone usage.
Conclusion: People Spend 2 Hours And 21 Minutes Per Day On Social Media
Social media has become a big part of our everyday lives, with the average person spending about 2 hours and 21 minutes daily. In the US, people aged between 8 and 24 spend the most time using social media, with an average of 186 minutes daily, while adults aged 65 and above use social media the least.
These figures underscore the profound impact of social media on how we connect, entertain ourselves, and consume information. Whether for building personal relationships or driving business success, social media has become a go-to place for people worldwide.
