New Delhi, Jul 24 (IANS): More than 60 per cent of the world's population, or nearly five billion people, are active on social media, a new study has shown.

According to digital advisory firm Kepios, this figure represents an increase of 3.7 per cent compared to the previous year.

The number of social network users is approaching the number that uses the Internet at 5.19 billion, or 64.5 per cent of the world population.

Moreover, the report said that social media usage varies widely by region. In East and Central Africa, only one person out of 11 uses social media, while in India, only one out of three does.

The amount of time spent on social media has also increased, rising by two minutes per day to two hours and 26 minutes.

Brazilians spend an average of three hours and 49 minutes per day on social media while the Japanese spend less than an hour.

The average social media user is on seven platforms.

With WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, Meta has three favourite apps. WeChat, TikTok, and its local version Douyin are the three most popular apps in China. The top social media platforms are completed by Twitter, Messenger, and Telegram, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the US Precise Advertiser Report: Kids (PARK) showed that about 9 out of 10 kids under 12 in the US access content on YouTube versus 4 in 10 for TikTok, despite the incredible popularity of TikTok.

When queried about their most recent content consumption, 86 per cent cited YouTube, followed by 63 per cent who said video on demand, 50 per cent who said gaming and 38 per cent who said TikTok. Half of the kids who watch YouTube are aware of YouTube Shorts, with a fifth having seen YouTube Shorts Ads while watching.