150+ Social Media Addiction Statistics for 2025: What the Numbers Say

For most people, social media doesn’t feel like an “activity” anymore. It’s just part of the day. A few minutes on Instagram in the morning, a scroll through TikTok on lunch break, maybe a late-night dive into YouTube. 

But those quick moments can add up, often turning into hours without much thought. It’s easy to lose track of time or to check notifications out of habit, not interest.

In 2025, conversations around social media addiction have gone beyond simple concern. This set of over 150 statistics takes a closer look at how people use these platforms, and what it looks like when that use becomes hard to control.

From daily screen time to emotional effects and age-specific patterns, the numbers help fill in the full picture. Intrigued? Let’s dive in. 

General Usage Statistics

The average user spends 2 hours and 43 minutes on social media every day.

79% of global internet users use at least one social media platform daily.

YouTube is the most used social media platform globally, with 89% of internet users visiting the site monthly.

Between 2015 and 2025, the average daily time spent on social media increased by 41 minutes.

TikTok users spend an average of 56 minutes per session, the highest of any platform.

4.95 billion people worldwide actively use social media as of 2025.

Instagram and WhatsApp are tied as the second most-used platforms globally, each with 76% monthly usage rates.

33% of users say they check social media more than 10 times a day.

Social media usage among people aged 16–24 is 92%, compared to 68% for users over 45.

61% of men and 66% of women use social media daily, showing slightly higher engagement among women.

Urban users are more active on social media, with 82% daily usage compared to 57% among rural users.

Since 2018, the number of social media users has grown by 1.6 billion globally.

Age-Based Statistics

Users aged 18 to 24 spend an average of 3 hours and 12 minutes per day on social media.

91% of teens (13–17) use at least one social media platform daily.

The average daily screen time for users aged 25 to 34 is 2 hours and 48 minutes.

Children aged 10 to 12 spend an average of 1 hour and 47 minutes per day on social media.

36% of users aged 65 and above say they use social media to stay connected with family.

88% of users aged 13–17 use Instagram, compared to 45% of users aged 45–54.

72% of users aged 18–24 check social media first thing in the morning, compared to 34% of users aged 55 and older.

61% of users aged 25–34 follow creators or influencers, while only 27% of users aged 50–64 do.

53% of teenagers report feeling anxious when away from social media for more than a day.

29% of users aged 35–44 report using social media as a way to reduce stress.

Users aged 13–17 are more likely to use TikTok (84%) than Facebook (18%).

Among users over 65, only 9% say they post content at least once a week.

Gender-Based Statistics

74% of women use social media daily, compared to 67% of men.

On average, women spend 3 hours and 5 minutes on social media each day, while men spend 2 hours and 34 minutes.

59% of men follow creators for news updates, compared to 44% of women.

68% of female users report engaging with content by commenting or sharing, compared to 49% of male users.

81% of women say they use social media to stay connected with family and friends.

62% of male users say they follow sports-related accounts on social platforms.

Among users aged 18–34, 71% of women use Instagram compared to 53% of men.

38% of women report feeling overwhelmed by social media, versus 24% of men.

46% of women use social media for product discovery, while only 29% of men say the same.

35% of male users report using Reddit weekly, compared to only 11% of female users.

19% of men and 31% of women say they take regular breaks from social media for mental health reasons.

Women are more likely to use Pinterest, with 67% reporting regular use compared to 15% of men.

Platform-Specific Addiction Data

TikTok users spend an average of 95 minutes per day on the app, the highest among all platforms.

42% of Instagram users say they feel the need to check the app multiple times per hour.

31% of Snapchat users report feeling anxious when they haven’t opened the app in over 3 hours.

YouTube users aged 18–24 spend an average of 2 hours and 18 minutes daily watching content.

61% of TikTok users say they lose track of time while using the app, compared to 37% of Facebook users.

48% of Instagram users say they’ve tried to reduce their usage, but only 19% were successful for more than a week.

Among Twitter users, 26% report checking the app during the night at least once while trying to sleep.

53% of Facebook users over age 40 say they use the platform out of habit rather than interest.

39% of Snapchat users under 25 say they feel “left out” if they don’t check stories daily, compared to 14% of users over 30.

64% of TikTok users say the app’s algorithm keeps them scrolling longer than they intended.

22% of Reddit users say they’ve spent more than 5 consecutive hours browsing threads at least once.

Among Instagram users, 35% say they feel worse about their appearance after using the app for more than 30 minutes.

Mental Health Impact

46% of daily social media users report increased feelings of anxiety after prolonged scrolling.

Users who spend more than 3 hours per day on social media are 2.6 times more likely to show signs of depression.

58% of teens say social media negatively affects their self-esteem.

Among users aged 18–29, 41% report feeling anxious when they haven't checked social media in several hours, compared to 19% of users over 45.

33% of social media users say they experience sleep disturbances at least once a week due to nighttime scrolling.

Users who check social media within 10 minutes of waking up are 31% more likely to report poor mental health than those who wait an hour or more.

67% of teens report experiencing FOMO related to social media, compared to 38% of users aged 30 and above.

52% of women say social media has caused them to compare their lives unfavorably to others, versus 34% of men.

44% of users say they feel emotionally drained after using social media for over an hour without breaks.

36% of users report that taking a one-week break from social media led to noticeable improvements in mood.

29% of users have lost sleep due to late-night use of social platforms more than three times in the past week.

Among users who follow influencers, 48% say it negatively impacts their body image.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Effects

47% of users say they’ve delayed household chores or tasks due to being distracted by social media.

39% of users admit to checking social media while eating meals, even when with others.

58% of people aged 18–29 report checking their phone during conversations, compared to 26% of users aged 50 and above.

Among couples, 32% say social media has caused arguments or tension in their relationship.

44% of users say they’ve stayed up past midnight due to social media at least once a week.

Users who spend over 3 hours daily on social media are 62% more likely to skip workouts compared to users who spend less than 1 hour.

36% of users have attempted a “social media detox,” but only 18% stayed off platforms longer than a week.

51% of people say they feel pressure to respond immediately to messages or comments.

Among students, 63% report checking social media during study sessions, while only 27% of working adults say the same during work hours.

22% of users say they’ve missed in-person social events due to spending time on social media.

49% of users say they multitask with social media while watching TV or streaming content.

17% of users report making impulse purchases after seeing a product in their feed.

Teen & Youth-Specific Statistics

89% of teens aged 13–17 use social media daily.

The average teen spends 3 hours and 41 minutes per day on social media.

64% of teens say they’ve compared themselves to others based on what they see on social media.

56% of teens have stayed up past midnight because they were scrolling through social apps.

72% of teen girls say social media affects how they feel about their appearance, compared to 38% of teen boys.

49% of teens say they’ve deleted posts that didn’t get enough likes or comments.

61% of teens report checking social media while doing homework, compared to 27% of preteens aged 10–12.

43% of teens say they feel pressure to maintain a “perfect” image online.

Among youth aged 13–17, 82% use Instagram weekly, while only 22% say they regularly use Facebook.

34% of teens admit to using multiple accounts (or “finstas”) to separate personal and public posts.

51% of teens say they’ve taken a break from social media due to feeling overwhelmed.

18% of teens say they’ve skipped meals while distracted by social media use.

Addiction Symptoms and Recognition

A total of 41% of users say they’ve tried to cut back on social media use but were unsuccessful.

Nearly 36% of daily users report feeling irritable or restless when they can’t check social media.

About 29% of users admit they’ve checked social media during inappropriate times, such as meetings or classes.

Users aged 16–24 are more likely to feel “unable to stop scrolling” (47%) compared to those over 40 (23%).

More than 54% of people say they’ve continued scrolling even when they were tired or knew they needed to sleep.

Around 22% of users say they’ve lied about their screen time to friends or family.

Women are more likely to feel emotionally dependent on social media (38%) compared to men (25%).

A reported 49% of users say they often or very often lose track of time while on social media.

As many as 17% of users admit they’ve skipped work or school responsibilities because of their social media habits.

Roughly 33% of users have checked social media while walking, driving, or during other potentially unsafe situations.

Among teens, 61% say they tried to take breaks from social media but returned within a day, compared to 26% of adults.

Physical discomfort, such as strained eyes ora stiff neck from prolonged use, is reported by 28% of users.

Global & Regional Differences

Users in the Philippines spend the most time on social media, averaging 4 hours and 12 minutes per day.

Social media penetration in the United Arab Emirates is among the highest globally, reaching 99% of the population.

People in Japan use social media the least, with an average of just 51 minutes per day.

Brazil and Mexico lead Latin America in daily usage, with 87% and 82% of their populations using social platforms daily, respectively.

Internet users in the United States spend an average of 2 hours and 26 minutes per day on social media, compared to 3 hours and 7 minutes in India.

In Europe, 68% of users in Italy say they use WhatsApp daily, compared to just 21% in France.

Urban areas in Africa report higher usage rates, with 61% of city dwellers active daily, versus 38% in rural regions.

Southeast Asia has one of the youngest digital populations, with 43% of users under the age of 24.

South Korea has the highest rate of social media usage among users aged 60 and above, at 52%.

More than 73% of Australians say they use social media to follow news and current events.

In Canada, 35% of users report using social media in both English and French regularly.

Nigeria has the highest percentage of mobile-only social media users, with 91% accessing platforms exclusively via smartphones.

Workplace Impact

Employees spend an average of 52 minutes per workday on social media for non-work purposes.

Nearly 37% of managers say social media has negatively affected productivity in their teams.

Roughly 42% of employees admit to checking social media during meetings or video calls.

Workers aged 18–29 are more likely to use social media at work (63%) compared to those aged 45 and older (28%).

About 31% of employees say they’ve been distracted by social media while trying to meet a deadline.

Remote workers are more likely to multitask with social media during work hours (58%) than in-office employees (34%).

Nearly 25% of companies have implemented software to monitor or restrict social media use during work hours.

More than 46% of employees say they take short social media breaks throughout the day to reduce stress.

Roughly 18% of HR professionals say they’ve had to address workplace conflicts stemming from social media activity.

Approximately 53% of workers follow or engage with their company’s official social media accounts.

Only 12% of employees say their workplace provides training on responsible social media use during work hours.

Around 21% of employees say social media has helped them network or find job opportunities while still employed.

Solutions & Recovery

More than 44% of users say taking a short break from social media helped improve their mood.

Nearly 29% of users who tried a digital detox lasted less than a week, while 13% stayed off platforms for over a month.

Users who set app time limits are 2.4 times more likely to reduce screen time successfully.

Around 31% of users who turned off social media notifications reported feeling less anxious during the day.

People aged 18–29 are more likely to attempt social media breaks (52%) compared to users over 50 (19%).

More than 39% of users say deleting one app entirely helped them regain focus during the day.

Roughly 22% of users have installed a third-party screen time tracker to monitor or restrict usage.

Among those who reduced usage, 46% say their sleep improved within the first week.

Users who take breaks on weekends only report 33% lower daily screen time than those who don’t take breaks at all.

About 35% of women and 24% of men say talking about social media habits helped them stay accountable.

Just 17% of users say their workplace or school has offered any guidance on digital wellness or screen time balance.

Only 11% of users who tried quitting cold turkey were able to stay off all social platforms for more than two weeks.

Top Trends

Usage of AI-curated content has already influenced 62% of users to spend more time on platforms than they intended.

In the past year, 37% of users say they’ve engaged with more AI-generated videos than human-created ones.

Over 49% of users report seeing repetitive AI-driven content loops on TikTok and Instagram Reels.

New platforms like BeReal and Lemon8 were downloaded by 28% of users aged 16–24 in the last six months.

AI-enhanced recommendation systems are responsible for 71% of video views on major short-form platforms.

Among new social media users, 33% say they were drawn to platforms due to algorithm-driven "For You"-style feeds.

Short-form content apps gained 17% more daily active users this year compared to traditional platforms.

Users aged 18–24 are 2.1 times more likely to follow AI influencers than users over 35.

Nearly 42% of Gen Z users say they’ve interacted with at least one AI-generated persona or chatbot on social media.

Platforms that launched in the past two years now account for 9% of all social media screen time.

Roughly 35% of users say they now spend more time on algorithm-driven discovery feeds than on their actual following list.

Among users who tried newer apps, 26% report feeling "more hooked" compared to traditional platforms like Facebook.

Conclusion

When social media becomes automatic, something we reach for without thinking, it can be hard to tell where connection ends and dependency begins. The 150+ statistics shared here show how common that blur has become. 

Whether it’s checking notifications first thing in the morning, scrolling late into the night, or feeling anxious when disconnected, the signs show up in subtle but consistent ways.

This isn’t just about one age group or one platform. The numbers cut across demographics and habits, revealing how easy it is for short sessions to stretch into long hours, and how that time can impact focus, mood, and even sleep.

These aren’t outliers. They’re patterns.

Stepping back to look at the data gives us something more solid than opinion. It shows what’s happening and who it’s happening to, and while the stats can’t offer solutions on their own, they give us a starting point for understanding, reflecting, and making more intentional choices about how we spend our time online.