A recent GWI study commissioned by the FT has suggested that social media usage has plateaued globally. The international study, which surveyed the media habits of 250,000 adults in more than 50 countries, found that the average individual spends just over two hours per day on social media platforms – a decrease of 10% from its 2022 study.
Notably, the study found that social media time was declining faster in Asia-Pacific, more modestly in Europe, and not at all in North America, where time spent with social media is 15% higher than in Europe. Indeed, its usage is still increasing in the US.
The report points to a trend of users ‘switching off’ from their apps and being more selective about the content they consume on social platforms. But in the UK specifically, the evidence for whether social media usage has indeed peaked remains mixed.
For one thing, different data sources reveal conflicting stories. The latest IPA Touchpoints release, published earlier this year, found that mean time per day spent with social media rose by nearly 20% year-on-year, from 1.29 hours to 1.54 hours in 2025. These two surveys deploy different methodologies, which may explain the differing results: Touchpoints respondents fill in a regular media day diary over the course of one week, while FT/GWI ask ‘a battery of questions’ to unpick users’ social media habits.
Moreover, while the FT study finds that 16-24s spend more time with social media than any other cohort, this group is also seeing the most pronounced decline in time spent. This may be a reflection of younger users cutting back on some apps while increasing their time with others. A UKOM/Ipsos Iris report in May 2025 found that just three brands – YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat – account for half of this cohort’s time online.
Conversely, the UK’s over-55s continue to increase their daily time spent with social media, with no plateau in sight.
Whether or not social media usage in the UK has indeed peaked, the latest signals do point to a growing desire to cut back on screen time. This concern is consistent with findings from numerous studies previously conducted. As the competing data points reflect, it is entirely plausible for a respondent to express frustration with the amount of time they spend staring at their phone, while simultaneously increasing that time with each passing year.
Only time will tell whether social media usage has really peaked. For now, and for many more years to come, it remains an essential part of most consumers’ lives, with a weekly reach comparable to live TV and a share of our media day bettered only by OOH. Likewise, for advertisers, social media will continue to be a pivotal channel for reaching consumers at mass scale. Nevertheless, brands should be considerate of the paradoxical nature of scrolling habits and prioritise environments where users are consciously choosing to engage – not defaulting to autopilot.
