In 2023, 66% of global users said they used social media at least daily. U.S. adults reported using Instagram at least sometimes at a rate of 31% in 2023. The data pairs that widespread routine with measured impacts like teen social pressure at 45% in 2022 and mental health concerns flagged in multiple surveys.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, 66% of global users said they used social media at least daily
- In 2023, 31% of U.S. adults reported using Instagram at least sometimes
- In 2022, 45% of teens said they feel pressure to keep up with what others are doing online
- In 2020, 43% of adults reported that social media makes them feel worse about themselves (Pew)
- In 2021, 33% of U.S. adults reported that social media has a negative effect on their mental health (APA report survey)
- In 2022, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory stating youth mental health and social media are linked, citing extensive evidence (HHS)
- In 2019, 91% of children aged 8–12 in the UK used the internet daily, with many spending time on social platforms (Ofcom)
- In 2022, 14% of 3- to 17-year-olds in the UK were online “almost constantly” (Ofcom)
- Social media ad spending reached $219.6 billion in 2023 globally (GroupM)
- In 2024, social media is projected to account for 19% of global total ad spend (eMarketer forecast)
- Meta reported $134.9 billion in advertising revenue in 2023
From daily use to rising ad spending, evidence links social media with youth mental health concerns and sleep disruption.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption2 stats
01
In 2023, 66% of global users said they used social media at least dailyhttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/
02
In 2023, 31% of U.S. adults reported using Instagram at least sometimeshttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/04/20/tiktok-and-instagram-among-us-adults/
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For the user adoption category, 66% of global users reported using social media at least daily in 2023, while 31% of U.S. adults said they use Instagram at least sometimes, showing broad routine adoption alongside meaningful but smaller platform-specific reach.
02 · Category
Behavioral Impacts8 stats
01
In 2022, 45% of teens said they feel pressure to keep up with what others are doing onlinehttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/
02
In 2020, 43% of adults reported that social media makes them feel worse about themselves (Pew)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/04/10/who-experiences-harassment-online/
03
In 2021, 33% of U.S. adults reported that social media has a negative effect on their mental health (APA report survey)https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/06/cover-social-media
04
In 2018, 59% of U.S. internet users said they have seen harassment online (Pew)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/09/26/online-harassment/
05
In 2021, 7 in 10 (70%) U.S. teenagers who reported heavy social media use had higher odds of depressive symptoms (peer-reviewed study context)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2789350
06
In 2022, a meta-analysis found small but statistically significant associations between social media use and adolescent depression/anxiety (JAMA Network Open)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/article-abstract/2794751
07
In 2018, a randomized trial found limiting social media use to 30 minutes reduced feelings of FOMO among participants (Behavior Research Methods/Journal study)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30642887/
08
In 2020, a UK study reported that social media use was associated with increased sleep problems among adolescents (peer-reviewed)https://publications.aston.ac.uk/id/eprint/39538/
Interpretation
Behavioral Impacts Interpretation
Across behavioral impacts, the pattern is that heavy or pervasive social media use is consistently linked to worse emotional outcomes, with 45% of teens feeling pressure to keep up online and studies showing significant associations with depressive symptoms, including 70% of heavy users having higher odds of depressive symptoms and a meta-analysis finding even small but statistically significant links to adolescent depression and anxiety.
More related reading
03 · Category
Regulation And Safety9 stats
01
In 2022, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory stating youth mental health and social media are linked, citing extensive evidence (HHS)https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/youth-mental-health/index.html
02
In 2019, 91% of children aged 8–12 in the UK used the internet daily, with many spending time on social platforms (Ofcom)https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/online-media/children/children-media-use-and-attitudes
03
In 2022, 14% of 3- to 17-year-olds in the UK were online “almost constantly” (Ofcom)https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/237808/children-and-parents-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2022.pdf
04
In 2023, the EU Digital Services Act entered into force on 16 November 2022, with obligations phasing in thereafter (EU)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2065/oj
05
In 2023, the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation commits major platforms to transparency and risk mitigation measures (European Commission)https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/code-practice-disinformation
06
In 2024, TikTok agreed to expand Family Pairing and time-management features in response to U.S. oversight/agreements (FTC)https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings
07
In 2022, the UK Online Safety Act received Royal Assent (regulatory)https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/contents/enacted
08
In 2024, the European Commission adopted the first set of rules for digital regulators under the Digital Services Act (official EC)https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-publishes-designation-and-eligibility-criteria-digital-services-act-coordinators
09
In 2023, the U.S. Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) was reintroduced in Congress to limit harmful algorithmic amplification for minors (Congress)https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1409
Interpretation
Regulation And Safety Interpretation
With youth use reaching levels like 91% of UK children aged 8–12 going online daily and 14% of UK 3– to 17-year-olds online almost constantly, regulators are stepping up rapidly, from the 2022 U.S. Surgeon General advisory linking social media to youth mental health to EU safety and transparency rules like the Digital Services Act and the Code of Practice on Disinformation.
04 · Category
Ad Spend And Roi4 stats
01
Social media ad spending reached $219.6 billion in 2023 globally (GroupM)https://www.groupm.com/news/groupm-ad-forecast-2024-reach
02
In 2024, social media is projected to account for 19% of global total ad spend (eMarketer forecast)https://www.emarketer.com/content/worldwide-digital-ad-spending-forecast-2024
03
Meta reported $134.9 billion in advertising revenue in 2023https://investor.fb.com/financials/annual-reports/default.aspx
04
In 2024, global social network ad spending is projected to reach $229.4 billion (GroupM forecast)https://www.groupm.com/insights/industry-trends/
Interpretation
Ad Spend And Roi Interpretation
In 2023 global social media ad spending hit $219.6 billion and with 2024 forecasts rising to $229.4 billion, the scale and continued growth signal a strong ad spend trajectory within the Ad Spend And Roi category, reinforced by Meta alone generating $134.9 billion in advertising revenue in 2023.
report visual · Key figures
Social Media Use and Reported Impacts (Selected Findings)
A snapshot of how often people use social media and several reported mental-health-related effects across different groups and studies.
66%
In 2023, 66% of global users said they used social media at least daily
31%
In 2023, 31% of U.S. adults reported using Instagram at least sometimes
43%
In 2020, 43% of adults reported that social media makes them feel worse about themselves (Pew)
59%
In 2018, 59% of U.S. internet users said they have seen harassment online (Pew)
14%
In 2022, 14% of 3- to 17-year-olds in the UK were online “almost constantly” (Ofcom)
source-verifiedpewresearch.org · ofcom.org.uk2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Social Media Screen Time Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/social-media-screen-time-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "Social Media Screen Time Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/social-media-screen-time-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Social Media Screen Time Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/social-media-screen-time-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report
+8 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)