A global survey conducted in April 2026 highlights the primary reasons individuals aged sixteen and older stay active on social media platforms.
The leading motivation is staying in touch with friends and family, selected by nearly half of respondents at 49.0%.
Entertainment and boredom relief also play massive roles, with 39.3% using platforms to fill spare time, 34.2% reading news stories, and 30.1% discovering general content like articles and videos.
Beyond personal connection and leisure, commercial and social interactions drive significant engagement.
Around 27.6% log on to check trending conversations, while over 26% seek products to buy or gather lifestyle inspiration.
Meanwhile, viewing sports, watching live streams, and making new contacts each engage over 22% of users.
Sharing opinions, following favourite brands, professional networking, keeping up with influencers, and avoiding the fear of missing out round out the top reasons, each capturing between 19% and 22% of users.
