Global social media use has reached an unprecedented scale in 2025, with Meltwater and We Are Social’s Digital 2026 report confirming that more than two-thirds of the world's population now engages with at least one social platform. That means 5.66 billion user identities, reflecting a dramatic shift where being offline is now the exception instead of the rule. Listeners might find it astonishing that the typical social media user now juggles nearly seven different platforms monthly, highlighting just how multifaceted the online experience has become.

Yet behind these eye-popping numbers, the so-called “social media breakdown” is manifesting in the struggle platforms face to capture and keep attention. While user signups continue to rise, how people use these networks is shifting. According to Digital 2026, the average global internet user now spends more than two-and-a-half hours each day on social and video platforms; for women aged 16 to 24, that number soars to nearly four hours. However, some platforms are seeing waning enthusiasm. X—formerly known as Twitter—still garners 3.6 billion monthly visits worldwide, but its unique visitor count is down by over 4% year-over-year. X’s own product team announced a purge of 1.7 million bots in October 2025, highlighting the challenge of distinguishing real engagement from automated activity.

Among young users, patterns diverge sharply. Data Reportal shows that X has continued to decline in relevance with teens, with only 17% of US teenagers reporting any engagement—down from more than 30% just a decade prior. By contrast, YouTube now claims the highest share of young users’ attention, with TikTok not far behind, both significantly outperforming older networks in usage time. Findings from eMarketer add that more than half of Gen Z report spending even more time on YouTube this year compared to last.

The business side of social media is also changing fast. Global ad spend on social platforms is set to hit $277 billion in 2025, according to the Digital 2026 report, as marketers chase the elusive attention spans of an audience constantly migrating between formats and devices. Social media ads have overtaken TV and search engines as the leading channel for brand discovery among 16 to 34-year-olds—clear proof that online influence isn’t just about status updates and viral dances, but big business.

However, concerns about social media’s impact, especially for younger users, are growing louder than ever. Recent research published in JAMA, discussed this week by Health Policy Ohio and Education Week, found that preteens who increase social media usage perform worse on reading and memory tests than those who abstain. Even light users—just an hour a day—scored up to two points lower than their peers, suggesting compounding effects over time. As a result, policymakers in places like Denmark and Australia are rolling out strict new age limits for social media access, signaling that the debate over healthy screen time is only getting fiercer.

More than ever, the social media landscape is a place of supermajorities, super-fast change, and super-sized challenges. Listeners who want to keep up, or even just understand what’s happening, will need to tune in regularly—online and off.

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