20+ Social Media Statistics to Know in 2025

Remember when people said that social media was “just a phase?” It was a fun way to share cat memes. A place to reconnect with old classmates. 

Now, in 2025, social media isn’t just part of our lives, it is our lives. 

Social media has changed how we communicate, shop, work, promote, and consume news. 

If you’re a brand strategist, copywriter, content creator, or just trying to wrap your head around the latest TikTok trends, these surprising statistics will get you up to speed. 

Key Insights (TL;DR):

• AI is increasingly becoming part of social platforms:
  
  • 13% of Reddit posts Were Likely AI in 2024
  • 50%+ LinkedIn posts are Likely AI as of 2024, raising concerns about transparency on a platform known for thought leadership
  • 60%+ of marketers plan to use AI in influencer marketing
• Social media has a massive global influence:
  
  • 63.9% of the world’s population (more than 5 billion people) are using social media in 2025
  • People spend 2+ hours a day on socials, across 6.7 platforms.
• Meta holds a top place as a social media giant:
  
  • 3 out of 5 of the world’s most popular social platforms are Meta-owned in 2025 (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp)
  • YouTube and Facebook are the most popular social platforms in the U.S. (2024)
  • Facebook is the #1 platform for social media marketing
  • However, it’s dropping in popularity among younger age groups in the U.S., whose top social media platform is YouTube.
• Influencer marketing is on the rise:
  
  • Influencer marketing will be used by 86% of U.S. marketers in 2025
  • 2020 to 2025: The value of the influencer marketing industry grew 3X
• Social commerce is more accessible than ever:
  
  • 80% of consumers report that a social media post has inspired a purchase (based on historical data back to 2012)
  • In 2025, purchasing via social media is easier than ever with features like Facebook Marketplace, Instagram Shopping, and in-app checkout on TikTok
• 50%+ U.S. Adults Get Their News from Social Media:
  
  • Social media is a place where about 1 in 2 American adults consume the news.

As social media and AI continue to capture the spotlight and influence everything from communication to purchasing behaviours, it’s more important than ever to maintain transparency. 

Conveniently check if a post you’re reading is human-written or AI-generated with the Originality.ai AI Checker.

AI Social Media Statistics

1. 13% of Reddit Posts Were Likely AI in 2024

Based on an Originality.ai study, as of 2024, 13% of Reddit posts were Likely AI.

Reddit is a place where many social media users go to get advice from real people, so the increase of AI content (146.3% between 2021 and 2024) raises questions and concerns.

Wondering if a post you’re reading is generated by AI or a real, authentic human perspective? Use the Originality.ai AI Checker to find out.

2. 50%+ LinkedIn Posts are Likely AI as of 2024

As of October 2024, over 50% of long-form LinkedIn posts are Likely AI (54% to be precise)

That’s not all, not only are more than half of long-form posts on LinkedIn AI-generated, but their word count is also going up. The length of LinkedIn posts has increased by 107% since the launch of ChatGPT (in 2022).

The key takeaway? AI is becoming increasingly integrated into communication practices on LinkedIn, raising concerns on a social platform known for thought leadership.

Source: Originality.ai

3. 60%+ of Marketers Plan to Use AI in Influencer Marketing

Artificial intelligence use is growing across social media marketing channels. 

Around 63% of influencer marketing professionals plan to use either AI or machine learning in their influencer campaigns in 2025, according to a report by Influencer Marketing Hub.

Currently, marketers are exploring AI tools to help them improve the performance of campaigns and support content creation with automation. 

Source: Influencer Marketing Hub

Global Social Media Statistics

4. 63.9% of the World’s Population is Using Social Media in 2025

As of early 2025 (February), 63.9% of the global population is active on social media. 

The global reach of social networks has grown steadily year after year, making social media an omnipresent part of daily life across countries and continents. 

Source: Statista 

5. Global Social Media Users Surpass 5 Billion People in 2025

The number of social media users worldwide is above 5 billion in 2025 (5.24 billion to be precise), highlighting the massive scale of social media adoption around the world. Billions of us are using a handful of platforms to buy, chat, communicate, consume content and stay informed.

Source: Statista

6. Social Media Gained 200 Million Users: 2024 to 2025

Globally, year-over-year, the social media population grew by about 200 million users. 

• In 2024, a study reported on by The Financial Post recorded that there were 5.04 billion social media identities.

• In 2025, Statista notes that there are now 5.24 billion social media users.

That means these platforms gained approximately 200 million new users from 2024 to 2025. 

Sources: Statista and The Financial Post

Note: The 2024 study noted the limitation that this figure may not represent unique individuals joining the platforms, as users may have multiple social media identities.

7. People Spend 2+ Hours a Day on Social Media in 2025

In 2025, according to Statista, globally, the typical internet user now spends 141 minutes on social media every day (which converts to 2.35 hours) or 2 hours and 21 minutes.

Taking a step back and looking at this in the context of a 24-hour day, that means just under 10% of a person’s whole day (9.79%) is dedicated to watching videos, scrolling feeds, and messaging. 

The overall amount of time people spend on social media has made it a leading part of our modern media diet. 

Source: Statista

8. In 2025, Daily Social Media Usage Dropped (by 2 Minutes) 

Interestingly, global daily social media usage actually dropped slightly in 2025 by 2 minutes, from 2024 to 2025:

• 2024 daily social media usage = 143 minutes
• 2025 daily social media usage = 141 minutes

Although the drop from 2024 to 2025 is moderate, it’ll be interesting to see if this trend continues in future years.

Source: Statista

9. The Average Person Uses 6.7 Social Media Platforms Each Month (2024)

Some of the latest data on social media platform usage indicates that the typical social media user is active on nearly 7 different social platforms (6.7) each month. 

That’s anywhere from 6-7 apps for different possible uses: 

• Facebook to keep up with family and old classmates
• Instagram for photos
• YouTube for videos
• Twitter/X for news
• TikTok for entertainment 
• and so on

Source: The Financial Post

10. In 2025, Facebook is Still the Largest Platform with 3.07 Billion Users

Despite competition, Facebook reigns supreme as the world’s largest social network. 

As of February 2025, Facebook reached over 3.07 billion monthly active users. 

That’s more than the combined populations of China, the US, and Europe:

• China (1.4 billion in 2025)
• The United States (342 million in 2025)
• Europe (450.4 million in 2025)

Meta keeps expanding and innovating with new features like Meta AI, which help to keep its trajectory moving upward. 

Source: Statista + population sources: Census.gov and Eurostat

11. YouTube is the 2nd-largest Social Platform With 2.5+ Billion Users

YouTube has exploded with around 2.5 billion monthly users worldwide, making it the second-largest social media platform by user count (after Facebook). 

Because its videos are used for everything from education to entertainment to music, it has a highly active user base. 

Source: Statista

12. Instagram’s User Base Hits 2 Billion Worldwide

As of 2025, Instagram has around 2 billion monthly active users. 

Owned by Meta, the popular app has continued to add features like Stories and Reels and tends to skew toward the younger demographic. 

The age range that Instagram’s user base is most popular with is 25 to 34-year-olds, who make up 31% of the user base.

Source: Statista and Statista

13. 3 out of 5 of the World’s Most Popular Social Platforms Are Meta-Owned in 2025

In 2025, WhatsApp tied Instagram for monthly active users at 2 billion. 

As another Meta-owned service, that means 3 out of 5 of the most popular social platforms are owned by Meta:

1. Facebook (Meta)
2. YouTube (Google/Alphabet Inc.)
3. Instagram (Meta)
4. WhatsApp (Meta)
5. TikTok (ByteDance)

Sources: Statista and Crunchbase

14. TikTok Explodes With Over 1.59 Billion Users

TikTok continues on its meteoric growth path with an estimated 1.59 billion global users. 

Launched by ByteDance internationally in 2017, the short-form video app has gone from being a niche craze to a mainstream social media behemoth. In 2024, ByteDance was valued at 220 billion (USD).

Given how addictive its short video format is, other social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are top competitors with features like Reels and Shorts.

Sources: Statista and Statista

15. WeChat Hits 1.38 Billion Users

China’s all-in-one social platform WeChat reached 1.38 billion users in 2025; its massive user base places it in the world’s top six social media platforms (right after TikTok in 5th). 

The social media platform combines messaging, social media, games and more, making it a must-have for many users.

Source: Statista and Crunchbase

U.S. Social Media Statistics

16. YouTube and Facebook are the Most Popular Social Platforms in the U.S. (2024)

At 85% and 70% of participants in a Pew Research Survey, respectively, saying they use YouTube and Facebook, these two platforms are the top 2 most popular social media apps in the U.S.

Instagram is the next most popular, used by almost half of Americans (50%). 

Smaller chunks of the population spread their time among other apps like:

• Pinterest (36%) 
• TikTok (33%)
• LinkedIn (32%)
• Whatsapp (30%) 
• SnapChat (27%)

Then, just over 1 in 5 adults use Twitter/X (21%) or Reddit (24%).

Source: Pew Research 

17. 9 out of 10 Teens Use YouTube in 2025, while Facebook drops in popularity

If there’s one thing that can be said to be nearly universal among teenagers, it’s social media. 

According to Pew Research, 90% of U.S. teens aged 13-17 use YouTube. 

Other popular platforms among teens are:

• TikTok (63%)
• Instagram (61%)

Far fewer teens use Facebook, dropping from 71% in 2014 to 32% in 2024. 

Teens are gravitating more toward video and visual-heavy platforms (YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram), while shifting away from older social networks like Facebook.

Source: Pew Research

18. Nearly Half of All Teens Say Social Media Has a Negative Effect

Although social media use by teenagers is incredibly widespread in the US, nearly half of them, or 48% say that social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age. 

That number rose from 32% in 2022.

Only 11% say that social media’s effect on their age group is mostly positive (which has notably dropped from 24% in 2022). 

The perception of social media’s negative effects shows that today’s teenagers are concerned about social media’s impact on their mental health, overall well-being, and social interactions. 

Source: Pew Research

19. 50%+ U.S. Adults Get Their News from Social Media

Social networks have grown to play a surprising role in how we get our news. 

54% of American adults say that they check social media for the news, at least some of the time. 

Facebook and YouTube are the main sources of social media for the news, and around one-third of adults in the U.S. said they routinely check either Facebook or YouTube to catch the news.

Source: Pew Research

Social Media & Influencer Marketing Statistics

20. Facebook is the #1 Platform for Social Media Marketing

Businesses rely heavily on social media for marketing, with Facebook leading the way. 

Just over 8 in 10 marketers (83%) report using Facebook to promote their companies, according to a survey in 2025. 

Instagram is the second most-used platform by marketers at 78%, followed by other platforms at lower rates. 

These numbers show that the majority of brands consider Facebook to be the best place to advertise, perhaps owing to its massive user base and range of advertising tools. 

Source: Statista

21. Influencer Marketing Will Be Used by 86% of U.S. Marketers in 2025

Working with social media influencers has quickly become a marketing standard. 

Nearly 86% of U.S. marketers plan to partner with influencers in 2025, which has risen from just under 70% in 2021. 

This finding, shared by SproutSocial from a Statista study, shows just how important influencers and influencer marketing are for brand strategy. These creators have already built engaged followings, which presents a great opportunity to expand audiences and promote.

Source: SproutSocial

22. 2020 to 2025: The Influencer Marketing Industry Grew 3X in Value

Influencer marketing as a whole is an industry in and of itself. 

In 2020, it was estimated to be worth $10 billion USD. Since then, the expected valuation has tripled to $30 billion USD in 2025.

It’s fascinating to see just how quickly influencer collaborations have become a major marketing tool. The value of the industry is expected to continue to climb. 

Source: Statista

23. Instagram Leads All Platforms for Influencer Campaigns

Instagram leads the pack when it comes to influencer marketing (57%) for a wide range of brands around the world. 

• TikTok, however, is a close second at just under 52%. 
• Then, YouTube came in third place at 36.7%.

Source: Influencer Marketing Hub

24. 80% of Consumers Report That a Social Media Post Has Inspired a Purchase

According to an article published by Forbes, 80% of consumers reported that seeing a post on social media had influenced them to make a purchase.

And that’s not new news to many, considering that the article referenced data from 2012.

So, where does that leave consumers today? It’s easier than ever to make purchases directly through social media (compounding the impact of social media on consumer behavior).

Today, “social commerce” bridges the gap between browsing and buying. 

With new features rolling out across Facebook Marketplace and Instagram Shopping, plus an in-app checkout on TikTok, users are discovering and buying more products without ever leaving their respective platforms. 

Sources: Forbes and Forbes

Social Media Statistics in 2025: Final Thoughts

After reading all of these statistics, one thing is clear. Social media isn’t just a channel anymore; it’s the channel. 

It’s how people discover brands, research products and even make purchases.

It’s how news (and misinformation) spread. 

Numbers like these demonstrate just what a pervasive and deep presence it has become in our daily lives, for better or for worse. 

Find out if a post you’re reading is human-written or AI-generated with the Originality.ai AI Checker.

Learn more about AI on social platforms and Google:

• Over ½ of Long Posts on LinkedIn are Likely AI-Generated
• Amount of AI Content in Google Search Results

Get resources to boost your social media marketing strategy:

• What Does a Social Media Marketing Agency Do?
• 7 AI Tools for Social Media Marketing Agencies
• AI in Social Media Marketing