The Top Social Media Platforms in 2025

You’re here for the list, so I’ll keep the warm-up short. Social media isn’t just alive in 2025, it’s absolutely thriving. We’re talking over 5.24 billion people scrolling, swiping, commenting, and clicking every day. That’s nearly 64% of the planet.

Let’s put it into perspective:

151 minutes. That’s the average amount of time a person spends on social platforms daily.
By 2028, we’re expected to hit 6 billion users.

Source: Statista

What Age Group Uses What Social Media Platform Most? (US)

18-29 years – YouTube (93%), Instagram (76%), Facebook (68%), Snapchat (65%)
30-49 years – YouTube (94%), Facebook (78%), Instagram (66%), Pinterest (43%)
50-64 years – YouTube (86%), Facebook (70%), Instagram (36%), LinkedIn (30%)
65+ – YouTube (65%), Facebook (59%), Pinterest (22%), Instagram (19%)

Notice how YouTube is the one constant.

Source: SproutSocial – Statista

User Behaviour

Mobile-first: 98% of usage happens on smartphones.
Top activities: Watching videos (82%), reading news (76%), chatting with friends/family (72%).
Gender split:6% female, 48.4% male.
Where it’s booming: Northern Europe leads with 82% penetration, then Western Europe (80%), Southern Europe (75%).

Bottom line? If you’re not designing for mobile, you’re designing to be ignored.

Source: Priori Data

Social Media Trends in 2025

Creative Disruption > Playing It Safe

Forget polished carousels with corporate copy. Think raw, real, and slightly risky. If it makes your brand team sweat a little, it’s probably going to work.

Micro-Virality Is the New Win

Going viral to millions is nice. But consistently resonating with a hyper-loyal, niche audience? Way more valuable, and honestly, more achievable.

AI Isn’t Just for Posts Anymore

It’s not about writing captions. Smart marketers are using AI to predict performance, segment audiences, and refine strategy…in real time.

Listen, Don’t Just Post

Performance-focused social listening is about watching what works, what flops, and pivoting fast – mid-campaign if needed.

Honourable Mentions:

Bebo: The epitome of early 2000s social networking.
MySpace: The original music-sharing platform.
Vine: The birthplace of the 6-second video trend.
Musical.ly: The lip-syncing, dance-move app that walked so TikTok could run (and eventually, take over the world).

Author

Daniela De Vivo

Account Manager, Tweak Marketing
With over 5 years of experience in marketing, Daniela specialises in social media strategy and paid campaigns. From TikTok and Instagram to Facebook and LinkedIn, she knows how to create scroll-stopping content and deliver results through targeted ads.