As the world marks Social Media Day on June 30, new data reveals 5.66 billion people — over 68% of the global population — now use social media, spending an average of nearly 40 full days per year on these platforms, even as countries like Australia move to restrict access for children under 16.
Sixteen years after Mashable invented Social Media Day in 2010, the platforms it celebrated have quietly taken over more than two-thirds of humanity’s daily life.
According to the DataReportal Digital 2026 Global Overview Report, as reported by Al Jazeera, global social media users have hit a staggering 5.66 billion — more than 68 percent of the world’s population. That’s a dramatic leap from fewer than 500 million users in 2005, climbing to 2.27 billion by 2015, and now nearly 6 billion a decade later, fuelled largely by cheap smartphones and expanding internet access.
But it’s the time spent that really stops you scrolling. The average user now spends 18 hours and 36 minutes per week on social media — roughly two hours and 39 minutes daily. Compound that over a year, and you’re looking at more than 40 full days surrendered to feeds, reels and notifications.
Geographically, the love affair isn’t equal. East Asia leads the pack with 88.1 percent of its population active on social media, followed by Northern Europe at 79 percent, Western Europe at 77.7 percent, and North America at 74 percent. On the flip side, Central Africa trails at just 12.1 percent, with East Africa at 12.6 percent and West Africa at 19 percent, per DataReportal figures.
Platform rankings, compiled by Statista in cooperation with Kepios, continue to track which networks dominate monthly active user counts worldwide.
Yet beneath the staggering growth lies mounting unease. The European Parliament has backed proposals setting a minimum social media age of 16, alongside bans on addictive design features like infinite scroll and autoplay for younger users — though no EU-wide law exists yet.
Leading the charge globally is Australia, which in December became the first country to enforce a blanket ban on social media for children under 16.
The world logged on. Now it’s wondering how to log off.
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