Social Media Usage Statistics by Age [Updated Apr 2024] (2024)

Given the increasing number of social media users year after year, there’s no question that it should form part of every business’s growth strategy.

But before jumping into creating a social media marketing strategy, it’s important to understand the demographics, starting with the amount of social media usage by age.

What age group uses social media the most?

Age group

Number of social media users in the US

Gen Z (12–27)

60.7 million

Millennials (28-43)

68.8 million

Gen X (44–59)

51.2 million

Baby boomers (60–78)

36.4 million

According to recent research studying social media usage statistics by age, as of 2024, US adults from 28 to 43 are the biggest users of social media. These are people belonging to the millennial generation, which the study defines as those born between 1981 and 1996. With 68.8 million millennials using social media, they make up nearly one out of every three (30.3%) social media users in the US.

This is followed by Generation Z, or those aged between 12 and 27 in 2024. This group accounts for about 60.7 million social media users, or just under a quarter (24.6%) of the US total. Despite projections of increased usage, Gen Z's share is expected to remain below that of millennials, who are anticipated to retain their status as the largest cohort of US social media users until at least 2027.

There are 51.2 million Generation X social media users, or those aged 44 to 59 in 2024. This is the third-largest group and they make up 22.6% of all active social media users. This is followed by baby boomers. There are 36.4 million users in the 60 to 78 age range, which is around 16.1% of US social media users.

Social media usage statistics by age: top platforms according to age group

Having this data on what age group uses social media the most isn’t enough. It also helps to know just what networks these different age groups are active on.

Social media usage by age: 18 to 29

Most-used platforms among users aged 18 to 29

Social network

Percentage of US adults who say they use the social network

YouTube

93%

Instagram

78%

Facebook

67%

Snapchat

65%

TikTok

62%

Recent statistics on social media usage by age show that nearly all (93%) of US adults aged 18 to 29 use the video-sharing platform YouTube. Instagram follows at 78%, and Facebook, the so-called 'king of social media,' captures the interest of 67%, positioning it above Snapchat's 65%. TikTok rounds out the top five, with 62% of young adults in the US utilizing the ByteDance-owned platform.

Social media usage by age: 30 to 49

Most-used platforms among users aged 30 to 49

Social network

Percentage of US adults who say they use the social network

YouTube

92%

Facebook

75%

Instagram

59%

Pinterest

40%

LinkedIn

40%

The analysis of social media usage by age shows YouTube remains the top choice for adults in the 30 to 49 age group, attracting 92% of users. Facebook and Instagram are next, with respective usage rates of 75% and 59%. Pinterest and LinkedIn are tied, each with 40% usage among this group.

Social media usage by age: 50 to 64

Most-used platforms among users aged 50 to 64

Social network

Percentage of US adults who say they use the social network

YouTube

83%

Facebook

69%

Instagram

35%

Pinterest

33%

LinkedIn

31%

The preferences of this age group mirror those of the younger cohort, with the exception of Pinterest slightly leading over LinkedIn—33% versus 31%.

Social media usage by age: 65+

Most-used platforms among users aged 65+

Social network

Percentage of US adults who say they use the social network

YouTube

60%

Facebook

58%

Pinterest

21%

WhatsApp

16%

Instagram

15%

Among seniors, YouTube and Facebook remain popular, though usage rates dip to 60% for YouTube and 58% for Facebook. Pinterest secures third place with 21%, while WhatsApp and Instagram are used by approximately 15% each.

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Social Media Usage Statistics by Age [Updated Apr 2024] (2024)

FAQs

Social Media Usage Statistics by Age [Updated Apr 2024]? ›

72% of US adults use social media

78% of women said they use it compared to just 66% of men. Those between the ages of 19 and 29 are the most active on social media (84% have an account). They're followed closely by users aged 30-49 (81%), 50-64 (73%), and 65+ (45%).

What are the statistics of social media usage by age? ›

72% of US adults use social media

78% of women said they use it compared to just 66% of men. Those between the ages of 19 and 29 are the most active on social media (84% have an account). They're followed closely by users aged 30-49 (81%), 50-64 (73%), and 65+ (45%).

What are the demographics of Instagram 2024? ›

As of April 2024, almost 32 percent of global Instagram audiences were aged between 18 and 24 years, and 30.6 percent of users were aged between 25 and 34 years. Overall, 16 percent of users belonged to the 35 to 44 year age group.

What age group uses the internet the most? ›

The amount of time users spend on the internet varies by age group, but on average, people spend 6.5 hours on the internet every day, according to the Global Web Index. However, individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 spend an additional 2.5 hours more time online than those between the ages of 55 and 64.

Has there been an increase in social media usage? ›

There were 150 million new social media users between April 2022 and April 2023 – a 3.2% increase year-over-year. If we break those numbers down, it equals approximately 410,000 new social users every day – and 4.7 every second. People use an average of 6.6 different social networks each month.

What age group uses social media the most in 2024? ›

What age group uses social media the most? According to recent research studying social media usage statistics by age, as of 2024, US adults from 28 to 43 are the biggest users of social media. These are people belonging to the millennial generation, which the study defines as those born between 1981 and 1996.

Is statista credible? ›

Statista is your trustworthy and objective data partner that helps you keep an overview and turn data into information and insights.

Which age group uses Instagram the most? ›

According to recent research on the age demographics of Instagram users, nearly one-third (31.7%) of all Instagrammers fall within the 18-to-24 age group, making it the range with the biggest number of Instagram users.

What age uses Facebook the most? ›

A recent study analyzing Facebook age demographics shows that the age group with the highest number of Facebook users is 25 to 34. 31.1% (or nearly one in three) of all active Facebook users fall within this range. This is followed by the 18-to-24 age group, which makes up 23% of all Facebook users worldwide.

What age uses TikTok the most? ›

38.5% of TikTok users are aged 18 to 24.

% being between 18 to 24 years of age, followed by 32.5% of users being between the age of 25 to 34. However between 2021 - 2023 the growth rate between age groups has changed, with a 10% reduction of 18 to 24 year olds but a 61.7% increase in the number of 55 and older users.

Which age group uses the internet least? ›

Internet use among older age groups has increased substantially over the last five years, but many are still non-users. 4.2 million people aged 65+ have never used the internet. A quarter (26%) of people aged 65 to 74 and around three-fifths (61%) of people aged 75+ do not regularly use the internet.

What age group is most active online? ›

As of February 2024, over a third of online users worldwide were aged between 25 and 34 years. Website visitors in this age bracket constituted the biggest group of online users worldwide. Also, 19 percent of global online users were aged 18 to 24 years.

What is the fastest growing social media platform? ›

Among leading social platforms, the networks with the highest growth rates between 2020 and 2022 were TikTok/Douyin, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest and Twitter.

What generation uses social media the most? ›

Millennials will continue to outnumber other generations in social network users.

Which social media is most used in the USA? ›

In the landscape of U.S. social media, Facebook stands as the unrivaled leader, commanding a significant 77% share of social network usage.

Which age generation uses social media the most? ›

Millennials are the most active demographic on social media, with 68.8% of them estimated using social in 2024. In terms of daily time spent on social media, Gen Z tops the list with 35% using it more than two hours a day.

What are the statistics of social media consumption? ›

According to the Datareportal April global overview, we can see that social media growth has continued to increase: More than half of the world now uses social media (62.6%) 5.07 billion people around the world now use social media, 259 million new users have come online within the last year.

What percentage of 12 to 15 year olds use social media? ›

From 80 percent in 2012, the share of children aged 12 to 15 years of age with a social media account fell to 70 percent in 2018, but increased again in 2020, peaking at 87 percent.

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