MUMBAI: India’s social media juggernaut is getting bigger, louder and far more addictive. The country’s user base touched 500 million in 2025, with Indians collectively spending a staggering 880 billion hours scrolling, sharing and streaming—a 10 per cent jump over 2024, according to the FICCI-EY Media and Entertainment Report.
That scale makes India the world’s second-largest social media market by users, behind only China. Yet, for all its heft, the market remains underpenetrated. Social media reaches just 34 per cent of India’s population and 44 per cent of adults, well below levels seen in the US (70 per cent), Brazil (69 per cent), the UK (73 per cent) and Russia (74 per cent). Even among internet users, penetration stands at 48.7 per cent, compared with 78.4 per cent in the US and 81.5 per cent in the UK, leaving plenty of headroom for growth.
The usage story is decisively mobile-first. As many as 78 per cent of users accessed social platforms exclusively via mobile devices in 2025, while another 15 per cent toggled between mobile and desktop. That behaviour is fuelling the surge in short video. 46 per cent of content consumed on Instagram is now short-form, followed by 29 per cent on Facebook and 26 per cent on YouTube.
The dominance of big platforms is only tightening. Meta controlled three of the top five social apps by time spent, Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp’s ecosystem, alongside Telegram and Snap. By time spent, the ranking stood at Instagram, followed by Facebook, Telegram and Snap, underscoring Meta’s continued grip even as challengers edge in. By revenue, Facebook led, trailed by Instagram, Snap, WePlay and Telegram.
YouTube, notably excluded from the rankings as it is classified under OTT, would top both time spent and monetisation if included, the report noted, highlighting the blurred lines between social media and entertainment platforms.
The broader media picture underscores social media’s dominance. Total time spent on media, including social platforms, stood at 731 billion hours, accounting for 59 per cent of all mobile usage, cementing its role as the primary battleground for consumer attention.
But a new contender is emerging. AI assistants, barely on the radar two years ago, have surged to become the 11th largest sub-genre by time spent, clocking a 426 per cent year-on-year growth. While still small compared to social media, their rapid rise signals a fresh threat in the war for screen time.
For now, the scroll shows no signs of slowing. India’s social media market may still be underpenetrated, but it is already vast, and getting stickier by the hour.