Social media drives UK brand discovery

The latest Digital 2026: The United Kingdom report from We Are Social and Meltwater offers an in-depth view of the nation’s digital landscape, covering everything from social media use to ecommerce and smart devices. The study finds that 68.1 million people in the UK use the internet, while 55.5 million social media user identities are active across various platforms.

According to the report, social media users in the UK spend an average of 16 hours and 13 minutes a week on social channels, using 6.2 platforms per month. Both figures are slightly below the global averages of 18 hours and 36 minutes and 6.75 platforms respectively.

Social media fuels brand discovery and ad growth

Almost half of UK adult internet users (49.3 percent) turn to social media to find product information, and 38.7 percent use it to learn about brands or view their content. This reliance on social channels is reflected in advertising investment, with social ad spend rising 12.6 percent year on year to reach $12.8 billion (£9.77 billion). Influencer marketing also grew by 12 percent, reaching $1.31 billion (£1 billion).

Reddit posted the strongest quarterly growth in ad audience among major platforms, up 4.6 percent. LinkedIn followed with a 2.1 percent rise (1 million users), and YouTube with 2 percent (1.1 million users). Instagram, TikTok, Snap, and Facebook also recorded gains, while X experienced a 6.7 percent decline in ad reach, down by 1.36 million.

YouTube leads UK attention, Reddit shows ad gains

YouTube holds the top spot for average session duration, with users spending 10 minutes and 20 seconds per visit, followed by TikTok at 7 minutes and 39 seconds, and Reddit at 4 minutes and 16 seconds. When it comes to app usage frequency, WhatsApp leads with users opening the app 17.5 times per day, followed by Snapchat (11.6) and Instagram (11.1).

TikTok users on Android devices spend the most time daily on the app at 1 hour and 14 minutes, followed by YouTube (1 hour) and Instagram (46 minutes). WhatsApp remains the UK’s most popular social platform, followed by Facebook and Instagram. Facebook continues to dominate web traffic referrals from social media, accounting for 69.04 percent—a 15 percent increase year on year.

Digital ad spend surges as brands deepen social strategy

The report also notes that 21.8 percent of UK adult internet users use ChatGPT each month, while 18.5 percent use image search tools such as Google Lens or Pinterest Lens. Overall digital ad spend rose 8.1 percent to $3.91 billion, representing 82 percent of total 2025 advertising expenditure.

Lucy Doubleday, UK Managing Director, We Are Social: “Social media continues to shape the way people in the UK connect, discover brands, and make purchasing decisions. It’s encouraging to see social ad spend climbing, but success on social isn’t just about having deep pockets, it’s about cultural relevance. With platforms like Reddit making gains, brands need to have an even deeper understanding of how to operate in the complex social media ecosystem; understanding the nuances results in creative opportunities that make an outsized impact. The smartest brands see social as a strategic heartbeat, not a tick box.”

The full report can be accessed here