Are you wondering how much time people spend on social media in 2021?
Well, you’re in the right place!
In this report, we pull together the latest social media usage statistics to show just how much time the average person spends on social media in 2021, where they’re spending that time online and how that time has continued to increase over the years.
Summary Of Time Spent On Social Media
- People spend an average of 2 hours and 32 minutes per day on social media.
- 4.2 billion people use social media (roughly 55% of the world’s population).
- 81% of people spend more time on social media per day as a result of the global pandemic and social isolation.
- The average person spends the most daily time on YouTube (44 minutes) – followed by Facebook (35 minutes), Instagram (33 minutes), TikTok (32 minutes) and Twitter (10 minutes).
- Teenagers spend the most time on social media; with a daily average of 3 hours and 1 minute.
- Some teens spend up to 9 hours a day on social media.
- As a country, the Philippines spend the most time on social media; with a daily average of 3 hours and 53 minutes.
- The average American spends 2 hours and 4 minutes per day on social media.
- More than 270 million social media users suffer from social media addiction.
What Is The Average Time Spent On Social Media In 2021?
The average time spent on social media continues to rise. The latest statistics show that, globally, people now spend an average of 2 hours and 32 minutes per day on social media in 2021.
This is a 7-minute (5%) increase in daily time spent on social media from 2020 and more than a one hour (69%) increase per day since 2012.
In the last few years, the growth in time people were spending on social media was beginning to stagnant. However, in a recent survey, 81% of people admit they spend more time on social media as a result of the global pandemic and social isolation. Showing that Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a contributor to the increase in time the average person spends on social media in 2021.
How Much Time Do Teenagers Spend On Social Media?
Teens aged 13 to 18-years-old spend the most time on social media, with an average of 3 hours and 1 minute per day. However, it’s also been reported that some teenagers spend up to 9 hours every day on social media. This is significantly higher than older people who spend an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes per day.
How Much Time Do People Spend On Social Media Per Platform?
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Average Daily Time Spent On YouTube
The average person spends an average of 44 minutes on YouTube per day. This makes YouTube the social media platform where users are spending the most daily time online in 2021. This should be no surprise as YouTube is primarily a long video platform which is highly engaging and commonly used as a replacement of the television.
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Average Daily Time Spent On Facebook
People now spend an average of 35 minutes on Facebook per day. This is a substantially lower amount of time than in previous years. However, these days, the younger generation his migrated to newer social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
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Average Daily Time Spent On Instagram
The average person spends 33 minutes a day on Instagram. This is slightly lower than in previous years and due the fact that many users have transitioned to TikTok – a newer and more addictive social media platform.
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Average Daily Time Spent On TikTok
The average social media user spends 31 minutes on TikTok per day. Not surprising as TikTok is the newest and fastest growing social media platform on this list. It is extremely popular among the younger generation, and it also focuses on short form video content which has been proven to be extremely addictive.
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Average Daily Time Spent On Twitter
The average time spent on Twitter is 10 minutes per day. This is quiet low compared to the other leading social media sites however it’s to be expected, as Twitter focuses on short form text content which is a less addictive and time consuming media type.
The average daily time spent on each social media platform is beginning to level out in comparison to previous years. Arguably, this is because the functions of most social media applications are becoming indistinguishable from one another. If something is working well on one platform, it’s only a matter of time until that functionality gets implemented by the other platforms.
The most recent example being short form videos; which started on TikTok but has now been implemented by YouTube with YouTube Shorts and Instagram with Instagram Reels.
How Many People Use Social Media Worldwide?
4.2 billion people – roughly 55% of the world’s population – use social media in 2021.
With estimates, according to the latest social media addiction statistics, that more than 270 million suffer from social media addiction which means that more than 6% of people who use social media are addicted.
Unsurprising, given how addictive the design of social media has become.
How Much Time Do American’s Spend On Social Media?
In the United States, the average person spends 2 hours and 3 minutes on social media each day.
What Countries Spend The Most Time On Social Media?
- Philippines – 3 hours and 53 minutes per day
- Brazil – 3 hours and 46 minutes per day
- Nigeria – 3 hours and 36 minutes per day
- Colombia – 3 hours and 36 minutes per day
- Argentina – 3 hours and 27 minutes per day
Why Does The Average Person Use Social Media?
In a recent survey, the top 7 reasons for using social media was revealed. Here are the details, with the percentage of people who say the following are among their main reasons for using social media:
- 40% – To stay up to date with current news and events
- 39% – To stay in touch with what friends are doing
- 38% – To find funny or entertaining content
- 37% – To fill up spare time
- 33% – General networking of other people
- 31% – To share photos and videos with others
- 29% – To find/research products to buy
Data Sources:
