Despite almost 80% of the younger generation (16-34s) being concerned by the amount of misinformation on social media, they still spend over 2.5 hours a day on it, proof if it were needed of the channel’s vice-like grip on consumers’ lives.
This is according to new 2026 IPA TouchPoints data, which marks the 20th anniversary of the pioneering dataset during which time it has captured more than 33 million half-hour slots of audience behaviour, creating one of the richest single-source views of Britons’ daily lives and media habits.
The latest TouchPoints data reveals that a considerable 78.7% of all adults are concerned about the amount of misinformation on social media. This is high for all age ranges with the younger and older generations rating this almost identically at 79.1% and 79.2% respectively, although this percentage is slightly lower among 35s-54s at 77.2%.
Despite this, the younger generation (16-34s) spend 2 hours 31 minutes on average per day on social media, and all adults spend an average of 1 hour and 34 minutes on social media per day (1 hour 42 minutes for 35-54s, 56 minutes for 55s-74s and 28 minutes for over 75s.)
Furthermore, according to the weekly reach figures, nearly three-quarters of adults use social media in a typical week (73.9%), rising to almost nine out of 10 16- to 34-year-olds (88.9%).
Social media also now dominates in terms of specific, most-used media properties. Among all UK adults, social media platforms are the three most-used media properties, while for younger audiences the top five spots are all occupied by social media platforms. Meanwhile, traditional broadcasters remain strongest among the older generation.
In terms of device, the data also reveals that people are increasingly turning to smartphones to access curated commercial media, with 34% of all consumption taking place on smartphones. Within this, in terms of share of all adults’ activity on mobile devices: social media/messaging dominates at 47%, followed by TV/video at 23% and radio/audio at 16%.
IPA director of media research Dan Flynn said: “We all have our various reasons for going on social media, but what is interesting from this data is that, in spite of our concerns about it serving up misinformation – we still choose to engage with it. This truly demonstrates the hold and power it has over us.”
Fellow IPA director of media research Graeme Griffiths added: “When we first established IPA TouchPoints 20 years ago, there was no Snapchat, no TikTok and no Instagram, and Facebook and YouTube were only in their infancy. And it’s not just new media that TouchPoints captures, but also the evolution of the more traditional channels, fuelled by technology – whether that’s television with BVOD, SVOD and Video in general, or the development of digital OOH, or with the eruption of podcasts, for example.
“Coupled with this evolution in our media habits, TouchPoints also provides us with a fascinating insight into Britons’ lifestyles and moods – having been with us through boom, bust, Covid and beyond.”
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