How much time do we spend on social media? What 2h 21m a day adds up to
Published · 4 min read
The numbers
DataReportal, with We Are Social and Meltwater, publishes a yearly global overview of digital use. The start-of-2025 edition reports 5.24 billion social media user identities. Identities are accounts, not unique people, so the number of people is lower.
The same report puts the average daily time on social media at 2 hours 21 minutes for internet users aged 16 to 64. Averages hide a wide range: many people spend much more, some much less.
What it adds up to
The arithmetic is simple, and it is easier to feel in days than in minutes.
- Per day: 141 minutes, about 10% of the 24 hours.
- Per year: 141 × 365 = 51,465 minutes, about 35 full days.
- Over 50 years: about 4.9 years of continuous scrolling.
- At 3 hours a day, 50 years add up to about 6.3 years.
Does it matter?
Time online is not wasted by definition: people talk to friends, learn and work there. The problem is time you did not choose, the scroll that replaces the book, the workout or the conversation you meant to have.
A useful question is not “how do I use my phone less?” but “what do I want to do first?”. Put that thing before the feed and the total tends to fall on its own.
Check your own number
On iPhone, open Settings › Screen Time › See All App & Website Activity to see your daily average and the apps behind it. Compare the number with the 2h 21m average, and pick one daily task that should come before your top app.
Do It First helps with that last step: at the time you choose, the apps wait until you log the task with a photo.
Questions
How many people use social media in 2025?
DataReportal’s Digital 2025 report counts 5.24 billion social media user identities. Because one person can have several accounts, the number of unique users is lower.
What is the average daily time on social media?
2 hours 21 minutes a day for internet users aged 16 to 64, according to Digital 2025.
How much is that in a lifetime?
About 35 days a year, or about 4.9 years over 50 years at the same pace.