30+ Time Spent on Instagram Statistics for [2025]

In 2012, humans spent an average of 90 minutes per day on social media. 

Fast forward to 2024, and that number has increased to 143 minutes per day. But how much of these 143 minutes go to Instagram specifically?

We took a closer look, and here are all the time spent on Instagram statistics we uncovered. 

Time spent on Instagram vs. other platforms 

Instagram is now a social media giant with 2 billion monthly active users as of 2024. This places it #3rd among the two other most used platforms: Facebook (3+ billion) and YouTube (2.5+ billion).

Here's what we find when we look at how much time the average person spends on Instagram compared to other social platforms.

While Instagram controls a significant chunk of our screen time (33.1 minutes daily), TikTok and YouTube claim even more attention.

Time spent on Instagram by generation

Gen Z users spend nearly twice as much time on Instagram as Gen X. This makes sense when you consider how integrated social media has become in the daily lives of Gen Z and millennials.

Time spent on Instagram by country

In 2022, users worldwide spent around 12 hours per month on the Instagram mobile app, a 7% increase from the previous year.

However, usage varies significantly at the country level. 

For instance, Turkish internet users spend over 21 hours monthly on Instagram. Argentinians come 2nd as they spend more than 17 hours on the platform. South Korea has the lowest usage among the tracked countries at 6.06 hours.

Monthly time spent on Instagram (in hours) per user

What are people doing on Instagram?

Half of all time spent on Instagram goes to watching Reels. 

This short-form video content has become the platform's most engaging feature, with users watching a combined 17.6 million hours of Reels daily.

Stories remain popular, too, since 500 million Instagram users

Instagram users want to be entertained first and sold to second. 

Half of Instagram users want to see funny content, and 46% like creative posts. Your strategy, therefore, should prioritize personality over pure promotion.

Interestingly, ‘helpful/how-to’ content ranks last on the type of posts Instagram users like. This doesn't mean product education doesn't work. It just needs to be wrapped in something more engaging. 

Preferred types of content on Instagram

Is this increase in Instagram screen time making people more informed or distracted?

Those 12 hours per month spent on Instagram is definitely good news for businesses. However, the question for marketers is whether they're reaching people who are actually paying attention.

While most users believe social media has improved their access to information (57%) and communication (57%), far fewer think it's actually making their lives better overall (just 31%).

What users say about social media's impact:

Your audience is information-hungry but increasingly skeptical about how they spend their time. 

Your content needs to deliver value (entertaining first, but also genuinely helpful) to justify taking up precious minutes in those daily 33-minute sessions.

Based on these time spent on Instagram statistics, is advertising worth it?

Given what we now know about time spent on Instagram, we can confidently say it’s still worth it.

• Instagram ads can potentially reach 1.64 billion users
• This represents 20.3% of the global population
• Ad reach has grown 18.1% year-over-year (+251 million users)
• Quarterly reach increased by 2.5% (+40 million users)

Instagram is still a high-value advertising channel, especially when targeting content to Reels, which wins the majority of user attention.

FAQs

Is Instagram usage increasing?

Yes, Instagram usage is increasing. Globally, time spent on the app grew from 10.3 hours per month in 2020 to 12 hours in 2022, a 7% year-over-year increase.

In which country is Instagram used most?

Turkey has the highest Instagram usage, with users spending over 21 hours monthly on the platform, followed by Argentina at 17.36 hours.

How many hours do people spend on Instagram a day?

Users worldwide spend approximately 12 hours per month on Instagram, with significant variations by country and generation (Gen Z spends 53 minutes daily while Boomers spend just 20 minutes).

How to find the average watch time on Instagram?

To find average watch time on Instagram Reels, go to your profile's Reels tab, click on the reel you want to analyze and select "View insights" to see detailed metrics.

What is the average time spent on social media globally?

The average time spent on social media globally is 143 minutes (2 hours and 23 minutes) per day in 2024, up from 90 minutes in 2012.

Wrapping up

As these time spent on Instagram statistics show, the platform continues to win over a significant portion of our digital attention. 

Consistently creating engaging content remains necessary for standing out in those 33.1 daily minutes users spend scrolling. 

Tools like Cropink can simplify your content creation process by automating catalog ads and dynamic templates. In turn, it becomes easier to keep up with trends. 

Find out how you can get started with Cropink for free.

Sources

1. Statista. Daily social media usage worldwide
2. eMarketer. Average time spent per day by US adult users on select social media platforms (2023)
3. eMarketer. Social time spent by generation (2024)
4. Statista. Time spent on Instagram app by selected countries
5. Cropink. Instagram statistics
6. Twicsy. Instagram Stories statistics
7. Statista. Instagram’s most liked type of content worldwide
8. Statista. Impact of social media on daily life worldwide
9. DataReportal. Digital 2023 October Global Statshot