Dead hours on social networks: which platforms consume our time the most?

Social networks are the favorite pastime of many Internet users on the Internet and we spend a lot of time (probably too much) on them every day. To social networks we must also add the distractions (by no means trivial) posed by the ubiquitous generative AI platforms. «Digital 2026»a recent study led by We Are Social and Meltwater, puts consumer habits born in the heat of the internet and its many tentacles in the spotlight.

According to him report, More than two thirds (68.7%) of the world’s population use social networks. However, behavior on these platforms and the mechanisms used to gain the attention of the Internet user are at the mercy of multiple changes.

On social networks and video platforms, the user spends more than 2.5 hours a day. When the user decides to venture into 2.0 platforms, they do so mainly to pass the time (for no particular reason). The second most frequently cited reason for using social media is to keep in touch with friends and family.

It is also worth noting that adults use monthly (on at least one occasion) an average of 6.76 social networks. WhatsApp has the reputation of being the most popular app followed by Instagram and Facebook, although the latter social network continues to be the most widely used platform in the world.

TikTok is the social network to which the user spends the most time: 1 hour and 37 minutes a day

In terms of reach, YouTube stands as the leading platform and has almost 50% more active users than TikTok, which is in fifth position. Still, The social network from China is the one that definitively takes away its users the longest. The user spends an average of 1 hour and 37 minutes a day on this platform (much more than any other social network).

Behavior on social networks is due to many differences at the generational level. For users between 16 and 34 years old, advertising on social networks is today the most important channel when it comes to discovering new brands, products and services. Along these lines, 34.2% of young people between 16 and 34 years old and 32.1% of users between 25 and 34 years old use Instagram, YouTube and other 2.0 platforms specifically to learn new things.

On the contrary, among users between 35 and 44 years old, social networks fall behind traditional search engines when the ultimate goal is to learn new things.

There are also notable differences from the point of view of gender in the use of social networks. And girls between 16 and 24 hours spend an average of 3 hours and 40 minutes on social networks and video platforms (much more time than any other age group).

The border that separates social networks from search engines and AI is blurring

While the time devoted to social networks continues to grow, on the contrary, a slight decrease in the time spent using search engines can be seen. (and this decrease is also noticeable in all age groups). Today only 80% of adults use search engines on a monthly basis. The loss of popularity on the part of Google and company is greatly influenced by the ubiquitous AI platforms, which the youngest people pay particular attention to.

More than 1 billion users use generative AI tools monthly. ChatGPT, probably the most popular AI chatbot, already attracts 800 million users every week. The emergence of ChatGPT and other tools is significantly changing user behavior on the Internet, particularly when it comes to online searches.

Advertising born in the heat of social networks is, on the other hand, undertaking the upward slope. And in 2025, ads placed on 2.0 platforms will translate into global spending of $277 billion, 13.6% more than a year ago.

Nowadays, social networks are also much more than pure and simple entertainment and are a kind of mirror of a vast panoply of social dynamics. On these platforms opinions are formed, purchasing behaviors crystallize and the image we have of ourselves is also forged. Perhaps for this reason we also spend more and more time on social networks, where the biggest challenge is perhaps finding the right balance between connections of a genuine nature and what is merely a hobby (which ultimately ends in a vicious circle of distractions).