How Much Time Does the Average Person Spend on Social Media? (2013–2023)
There’s no doubt that social media has become an important part of our daily lives. Whether it’s to connect with friends and family, keep up with the latest news, or discover new products and brands, there are plenty of reasons consumers hop on social networks.
The growing number of activities consumers can carry out on these networks has led to an increase in the average time spent on social media over the past decade.
As an ecommerce business owner, one question you need to ask before launching a social media marketing strategy is: How much time does the average person spend on social media?
Average time spent on social media per day
The latest data shows that as of Q3 2023, the average amount of time spent on social media worldwide is 143 minutes per day, which translates to two hours and 33 minutes. The data is compiled by GWI, which has been tracking the average time spent on social media every day since 2013. However, a change in methodology for 2023’s data means that comparisons made with previous years’ data may result in inaccuracies.
According to GWI’s previous methodology, average social media use every day soared from 2013 to 2022. In 2013, the average amount of time spent on social media worldwide was 97 minutes (one hour and 37 minutes) a day. This rose to 105 minutes in 2014, surpassing the 100-minute mark for the first time, before rising further to 111 minutes in 2015.
→ Click Here to Launch Your Online Business with Shopify
The increase in the average amount of time spent on social media didn’t stop there. Daily time spent continued climbing and hit 128 minutes in 2016—a 17-minute annual increase—and 135 minutes in 2017. By 2018, that number was 142 minutes—three-quarters of an hour longer than in 2013.
From 2013 to 2022, the average time spent on social media worldwide increased by nearly one whole hour (54 minutes), or 55.7%, and at an average annual growth rate of 5.1%.
When crafting a social media strategy, it’s useful to know that social media use varies from country to country. For instance, the latest statistics on social media usage by country show that the average time spent by consumers in Kenya is 223 minutes a day, the highest of all countries. In comparison, users in the United States spend 138 minutes a day on social media.