Social Media Addiction Statistics By Age, Gender, Region and Harmful Effects
Updated · Apr 03, 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Introduction
- Editor’s Choice
- General Social Media Addiction Statistics
- United States Social Media Addiction Statistics
- By Demographics
- Children Spend Time on Social Media Each Day
- Social Media Platform Use Statistics by Gender
- Most-Used Social Media Platforms Statistics
- Social Media Addiction Statistics by Region
- By Country
- Harmful Effects of Addiction to Social Media Statistics
- Conclusion
Introduction
Social Media Addiction Statistics: Many of us use social media every day. Apps like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter help people stay in touch, enjoy themselves, or simply fill their free time. But using these apps too much can cause problems. Some people can’t stop checking their phones, even when they are tired, busy, or spending time with loved ones.
This habit is often called social media addiction. It can affect your sleep, focus, and even your mental health. This article will examine social media addiction, why it happens, and how it can impact our lives. We’ll also explore simple ways to use social media in a healthier and more balanced way.
Editor’s Choice
- In 2025, Approximately 210 million individuals globally are addicted to social media and the internet.
- About 10% of the United States’s population, or 33.19 million people, are considered addicted to social media.
- Among Americans aged 18 to 22, 40% report being addicted to social media.
- Teenagers between 13 and 18 years old spend an average of 3 hours daily on social media, with some dedicating up to 9 hours each day.
- Meanwhile, over 86% of Generation Z individuals are actively reducing their social media usage, and 67% acknowledge its negative impact on their mental health.
- In the U.S., 26% of men and 34% of women identify as being addicted to social media.
- As of 2025, social media addiction rates among U.S. populations are 32% for White Americans, 29% for Hispanic Americans, 27% for Asian Americans, and 25% for African Americans.
- Social Media Addiction Statistics further state that teens who use social media for more than three hours a day are more likely to face mental health problems like anxiety and depression.
- Spending too much time on screens, especially right before sleeping, can also affect sleep quality. Because of this, people lose about 48 minutes of sleep each week.
- By April 2024, more than 5.07 billion people were using social media. That’s about 62.6% of everyone on Earth.
General Social Media Addiction Statistics
(Source: searchlogistics.com)
- People between 16 and 64 now spend about 2 hours and 24 minutes daily on social media.
- That means the average person uses social media for around 144 minutes daily. If you add it up, that’s about 72 hours spent just scrolling, posting, and checking updates every month.
- This adds up to a huge amount over time; almost 5.7 years of a person’s life are spent on social media.
- Around 210 million people around the world struggle with social media addiction. That’s about 4% to 5% of all users.
- People spend about 143 minutes (over 2 hours) daily on social media.
- From 2018 to 2025, people’s social media accounts increased from 4.8 to 8.5 per person.
- Social Media Addiction Statistics mentioned that globally, about 32% of women and only 6% of men say they feel addicted to social media.
- Between 2023 and 2024, around 256 million new users joined social media worldwide.
- As of October 2024, about 63.8% of the world’s population actively uses social media, which is linked to more addiction cases.
- Nearly 75% of users say they check their social media within 15 minutes of waking up, a sign of strong dependence.
- About 40% of users admit they stay on social media longer than they planned every day.
- Over 60% of college students say they feel addicted to social media.
United States Social Media Addiction Statistics
- As of 2025, about 7 out of 10 U.S. adults use social media daily.
- Almost all teenagers (95%) in the U.S. own a smartphone, and 94% use social media often.
- 8 out of 10 teens say they spend at least 2 hours daily on social media.
- Around 62% of adults are on social media for 2 to 3 hours daily.
- 40% of teenagers say it’s hard to stay off social media for more than a day.
- On average, teens spend 4 to 5 hours daily scrolling social apps and another 2 hours watching streaming platforms.
- Social Media Addiction Statistics also depicts that 72% of women aged 18 to 34 check their social media accounts 10 or more times daily.
- Over half of adolescents (58%) say they’ve felt anxious, stressed, or depressed because of social media.
- 45% of young adults feel lonely or disconnected after spending much time online.
- The average American spends about 7 hours and 3 minutes daily looking at screens, including phones, computers, and TVs.
By Demographics
- As of 2025, people living in cities are more likely to get addicted to social media (70%) than those in rural areas (64%).
- About 45% of college students say social media has hurt their schoolwork and made it harder to focus.
- Nearly 3 out of 10 working people in the U.S. check social media while on the job.
- Moreover, 28% of parents admit they spend more time scrolling on social media than being with their kids.
- Only 15% of retired people say they often use social media and have formed regular habits.
- Almost half of U.S. teens are online all the time and show signs of being addicted.
(Reference: demandsage.com)
- In the U.S., young adults between 18 and 22 are the most likely to say they’re addicted to social media; about 40% of them feel this way.
- The pattern continues with people aged 23 to 38, where 37% admit to being hooked.
- Among those aged 39 to 54, the number drops to 26%.
- Even adults between 55 and 64 aren’t completely free from it, with 21% saying they struggle with social media addiction too.
Children Spend Time on Social Media Each Day
(Source: buttercms.com)
- As per Social Media Addiction Statistics, children aged 8 to 12 usually spend about 4 hours and 44 minutes each day looking at screens.
- The global average time per day for the top six social media platforms is: TikTok (91 minutes), Snapchat (71 minutes), Instagram (41 minutes), Reddit (15 minutes), Pinterest (13 minutes), and Facebook (10 minutes).
Social Media Platform Use Statistics by Gender
(Reference: statista.com)
- In February 2025, more men than women were using X (formerly Twitter).
- About 63.7% of the people using the platform were male, while only 36.3% were female.
Meanwhile, other platforms user share in the same duration are detailed below:
| Social Media Platforms | Male user share | Female user share |
| 56.9% |
43.1% |
|
|
|
56.7% | 43.3% |
| TikTok | 55.7% |
44.3% |
|
Snapchat |
50.7% | 48.4% |
| 52.7% |
47.3% |
Most-Used Social Media Platforms Statistics
(Reference: statista.com)
- As of 2025, over 3 billion people use Facebook often, making it the world’s most widely used social media platform.
- YouTube also has a huge user base, with around 2.5 billion active users worldwide.
Similarly, other platforms’ monthly users are detailed in the table below
| Social Media Platforms | Monthly Active Users (in millions) |
|
2,000 |
|
|
|
2,000 |
| TikTok |
1,590 |
|
|
1,380 |
| Telegram |
950 |
|
Facebook Messenger |
947 |
| Snapchat |
850 |
|
Douyin |
766 |
| Kuaishow |
714 |
|
|
606 |
|
599 |
|
|
|
586 |
|
562 |
|
|
|
537 |
Social Media Addiction Statistics by Region
- Social media addiction rates are different across regions. In North America, about 8% to 10% of users show signs of addiction.
- Around 5% to 7% of Europeans, especially young people, are affected.
- In Africa, 6% to 9% use social media too much and depend on it daily.
- The Middle East has the highest number of users, with 10% to 12% showing addiction.
- In Asia, about 7% to 11% are addicted, mostly in areas with fast internet and high mobile use.
- In South America, around 8% to 10% of people use social media more than three hours daily.
- In Oceania, 7% to 9% seem hooked on their social apps.
- In Central Asia, 6% to 8% of city residents use social media more than average.
- In Eastern Europe, around 5% to 7% struggle with constantly checking their phones.
- The Caribbean shows 7% to 9% relying heavily on social platforms.
In 2025, gender differences in social media addiction are detailed in the table below:
| Region | Male user share | Female user share |
| North America | 46% |
54% |
|
South America |
48% | 52% |
| Western Europe | 50% |
50% |
|
Southern Africa |
48% | 52% |
| Southern Asia | 73% |
27% |
|
Oceania |
47% |
53% |
By Country
(Source: xnspy.com)
- Social Media Addiction Statistics of 2025 show that in the United States, about 28% of people are addicted to social media, spending an average of 3 hours and 30 minutes on it each day.
Furthermore, other countries’ daily social media spending time is detailed in the table below:
| Country | Addicted users share | Usage Time |
| Philippines | 38% |
4 hours and 45 minutes |
|
Brazil |
35% | 4 hours and 20 minutes |
| India | 32% |
3 hours and 55 minutes |
|
Nigeria |
30% | 3 hours and 50 minutes |
| Egypt | 27% |
3 hours and 20 minutes |
|
The United Kingdom |
25% | 3 hours and 10 minutes |
| South Korea | 23% |
3 hours and 5 minutes |
|
Canada |
22% | 3 hours |
| Australia | 20% |
2 hours and 50 minutes |
Harmful Effects of Addiction to Social Media Statistics
- Social Media Addiction Statistics further state that about 63% of users say they feel left out (FOMO).
- Around 60% of teens feel worse about themselves because of what they see online.
- Over half (55%) feel emotionally tired after using these platforms.
- About 50% of adults say social media hurts their work.
- Sleep problems like insomnia affect 48% of users.
- Nearly 45% feel more lonely or isolated.
- Among young women, 44% feel unhappy with their bodies.
- Also, 41% of young adults feel more anxious and stressed after using social media too much, while 25% struggle to focus or remember things.
(Source: buttercms.com)
- According to a Facebook survey, about one out of every eight people, or 12% of users, said using the platform negatively impacts their jobs, sleep, or parenting.
- Since Facebook has 2.9 billion users, these problems could affect more than 362 million people.
- About 67% of adults in the U.S. think that using social media is linked to feeling lonely or socially isolated.
- Social Media Addiction Statistics around 38% also feel that social media hurts mental health.
- Most alarming of all, 74% believe that social media use plays a role in rising suicide rates.
- Nearly twice as many adults in the U.S. believe social media is harmful to society (39%) compared to those who think it’s helpful (22%).
- Social Media Addiction Statistics show that only 27% feel it’s neither good nor bad, and 12% aren’t sure what to think.
- In the U.S., almost twice as many adults say social media does more harm than good; 39% think it’s bad for society, while only 22% believe it helps.
- Around 27% feel it’s neutral, and 12% aren’t sure how they feel about it.
Conclusion
Too much social media can hurt your health, make you sad, and affect your relationships. It’s easy to spend a lot of time scrolling without noticing. But taking breaks and enjoying time with people around you is important. Try setting a limit for how long you use social media each day. Doing simple things like walking, chatting with friends face-to-face, or trying a new hobby can help you feel happier. Social media isn’t always bad, but using it too often can lead to problems. Balance is the key to staying happy and healthy online and offline.
Sources
FAQ.
You might be addicted if you can’t stop, even when it’s hurting your life or relationships.
Yes, using social media too much can make you feel stressed, sad, or that you are comparing yourself to others.
Social media feels addictive because it gives quick rewards, grabs attention, and makes people want to keep scrolling.
Mood changes, avoiding family, poor grades, lying, secretive behavior, and losing interest in usual activities.
Take breaks, set app limits, turn off notifications, and do more fun things away from your screen.
Yes, some apps can help people fight addiction by giving support, tracking progress, and building good habits.
Yes, social media addiction can be treated with healthy habits, support, and by spending less time online daily.
Joseph D'Souza started Coolest Gadgets in 2005 to share his love for tech gadgets. It has since become a popular tech blog, famous for detailed gadget's reviews and companies statistics. Joseph is committed to providing clear, well-researched content, making tech easy to understand for everyone. Coolest Gadgets is a trusted source for tech news, loved by both tech fans and beginners.
