According to the annual Online Nation report by Ofcom, UK adult spend an average of 4 hours 20 minutes online across different devices like tablets, laptops and smartphones in 2024. These figures are higher than that of 2023 when adults spent an average 3 hours 40 minutes online. Younger adults (18-24) spend most time online, with 4 hours 3 minutes spent on mobile and the rest spent on tablets and computers. Some young adults spend more than six hours per day on Instagram and TikTok.
These figures may not come as a shock as we all know that our society is transforming into digital sources. The report also identified the companies responsible for adults in the UK spending excessive time online. The top two companies are Alphabet/Google and Meta, and adults in the UK are spending one hour each daily on their apps. The most used app this year by adults in the UK is YouTube, where 94% respondents admitted to using the app frequently in 2024.
70% of the respondents said to use Meta’s apps like Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp this year, with Facebook being at the top in terms of usage. Young adults also spent some time on Facebook with an average 15 minutes spent daily on the app. The report also found out that women tend to spend 33 minutes more online as compared to men. It all comes down to the content both of them are consuming.
The top five apps which were used the most by UK adults this year are YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Reddit. Reddit may seem surprising to be among the top five for some people, but it is growing fast in the UK with 22.9 million active users, leaving X behind. BlueSky and Threads are also trying to become a part of the competition as both of their users are growing in the UK. Other most used social media apps by UK adults in the top ten were Pinterest, LinkedIn, Quora and Snapchat.
Read next: New Webcam Hack Lets Hackers Activate Cameras Without LED Indicators, Experts Warn
These figures may not come as a shock as we all know that our society is transforming into digital sources. The report also identified the companies responsible for adults in the UK spending excessive time online. The top two companies are Alphabet/Google and Meta, and adults in the UK are spending one hour each daily on their apps. The most used app this year by adults in the UK is YouTube, where 94% respondents admitted to using the app frequently in 2024.
70% of the respondents said to use Meta’s apps like Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp this year, with Facebook being at the top in terms of usage. Young adults also spent some time on Facebook with an average 15 minutes spent daily on the app. The report also found out that women tend to spend 33 minutes more online as compared to men. It all comes down to the content both of them are consuming.
The top five apps which were used the most by UK adults this year are YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Reddit. Reddit may seem surprising to be among the top five for some people, but it is growing fast in the UK with 22.9 million active users, leaving X behind. BlueSky and Threads are also trying to become a part of the competition as both of their users are growing in the UK. Other most used social media apps by UK adults in the top ten were Pinterest, LinkedIn, Quora and Snapchat.
Read next: New Webcam Hack Lets Hackers Activate Cameras Without LED Indicators, Experts Warn
