Skip to content
Vendor reportSprout Social, 2026

UK social users are most likely to spend more time on Facebook and Instagram in 2026

Channel validation

Platforms UK social media users plan to spend more time on in 2026

Platforms UK social media users plan to spend more time on in 2026
PlatformShare of users planning to spend more time (%)
Facebook & Instagram34%
TikTok & WhatsApp29%
YouTube25%
Reader Note:
Based on Sprout's Q4 2025 Pulse Survey of 2,270 consumers in the US, UK and Australia, fielded September 25 to 28, 2025. This figure shows the share of UK social media users who said they plan to spend more time on each platform in 2026: Facebook and Instagram 34%, TikTok and WhatsApp 29%, and YouTube 25%. The report does not state the UK-only base size for this chart.
Evidence:
Self-reported behaviour
Vendor interest:
Moderate — This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
Sample:
Online surveys of 2,305 consumers in the US, UK and Australia with at least one social media account and following at least five brands, plus 1,200 marketing leaders in the US, UK and Australia responsible for social media.

Good for

A rough sense of size and direction, and deciding what to look at first.

Not for

  • Exact numbers, or saying that one thing caused another.
  • This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
Channel validationTrend

20% of Gen Z and 17% of Millennials discover new brands through influencer endorsements, vs 12% of Gen X and 5% of Boomers

Vendor report

GWI, 2026

20% of Gen Z and 17% of Millennials discover new brands through influencer endorsements, vs 12% of Gen X and 5% of Boomers

Go deeper on this topic

Our Substack turns the data behind these cards into full breakdowns: what changed, why, and what to do about it.

Fixing your influencer marketing campaign: How to get into the top 10% of advertisers

Coming soon

This feature isn’t available yet.