Filipinos spend more time than global average on social media

We Are Social—in partnership with Meltwater—has released Digital 2025, its latest annual report on social media and digital trends worldwide.  

Global social-media users have reached 5.24 billion, a 4.1% increase, with users spending an average of two hours and 21 minutes daily on social media. Meanwhile, AI is gaining momentum, social media is proving crucial for brand discovery, and digital and influencer ad spend is up.

Southeast Asia demonstrates a particularly strong affinity for social media, with 61.5% of its population actively engaged, representing 10.2% of global social media identities. 

The region surpasses the global average in number of platforms used, with countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia leading the way. Social media serves as a significant news source for over a third of the population, and the time spent on these platforms far exceeds the global average, particularly in the Philippines, where users spend an average of 3 hours and 32 minutes daily. 

Specific platform preferences vary across the region. Indonesia sees social media accounting for nearly half of online time, with a high percentage of users actively seeking out and researching brands on these platforms. Thailand shows exceptional engagement with YouTube, while Indonesia and Malaysia exhibit considerable time spent on TikTok. Filipinos display a strong inclination towards influencers and vlog content. Singapore stands out as a key market for Reddit. 

These nuances underscore the importance for marketers to tailor their strategies to specific country-level behaviours and platform preferences within Southeast Asia.

Key findings

• Nearly two-thirds (61.5%) of Southeast Asia’s population are on social media making up 10.2% of the global share of social-media identities.
• The region loves social media with all nations using more platforms than the global average of 6.83. The average number of platforms used: 8.36 in the Philippines, 8.12 in Malaysia, 7.93 in Indonesia, 7.24 in Singapore 7.24, and 7.11 in both Vietnam and Thailand.
• More than a third of the region uses social media as a source of news.
• The average time spent on social media in the Philippines is 3 hours and 32 minutes—more than an hour above the global average.
• Social media makes up nearly half (42.6%) of Indonesia’s share of online time. Two-thirds of users in Indonesia also actively seek out brands on social media, while 82.1%use social media for brand research.
• Thailand is YouTube’s second-most engaged market with users spending 42 hours and 14 minutes on the platform, compared to 27 hours and 10 minutes globally.
• Indonesians spend close to two whole days per month on TikTok, clocking 44 hours and 54 minutes spent in the app. Malaysia is not far behind with 42 hours and 44 minutes per month on the app.
• Filipinos love influencers and vlog content. Nearly 45% follow influencers on social media and nearly half state they watch vlogs or influencer videos each week.
• Singapore is one of Reddit’s top markets globally with users spending 3 hours and 56 minutes on the platform each month and accessing it an average of 116.9 times.

Social media ad spend rose 15% to US$243 billion in 2024

Marketers are increasing their spend on digital channels, with digital ad spend exceeding US$790 billion in 2024 and social-media ad spend growing more than 15% to reach US$243 billion. Influencer marketing also sees growth, with a 14% increase in global spending, now totalling $35 billion annually.