REVEALED: The social media capital of the UK

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  • North London borough is top of social media usage rankings 
  • North Norfolk is the least social media active  
  • Top features six London boroughs 
  • Social media usage across the UK was analysed to discover the areas that spend the most and least time on social platforms 

New research has revealed Islington is the social media capital of the UK.   

 A new study has revealed that Islington is the UK’s social media capital, with its residents spending the longest amount of time online per capita. 

The study by cybersecurity and privacy experts VPN Overview analysed ONS data across more than 400 areas of the UK to discover the country’s social media capital. 

 The research looked at the internet usage among different age groups compared to the demographic make-up of each unitary authority, district and borough in the UK. 

 Islington ranked top of the list with residents spending an average of one hour 45 minutes on social media each day. This is driven by the fact that the borough has one of the highest proportions of women under 35 in any area of the UK.   

 Women aged 16 to 24 spend the longest amount of time on social media each day, estimated at an average of 192 minutes – three hours and 37 minutes – while women between 25 and 34 years old spend around two hours and 42 minutes on social each day. 

 In Islington, 16% of women are between 16 and 24 – considerably higher than the UK average of 10%, while 27% are between 25 and 34, which is more than double the national average of 13%. 

 As a result, the North London borough, which has a population of 248,115, is estimated to spend a combined total of 434,136 hours on social sites and apps each day. 

THE TOP 10 AREAS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA APP AND SITE USAGE IN THE UK  
UK area Daily Hours Spent per Person Population Area  Overall Rank 
Islington 1hr 45 248,115  
Tower Hamlets  1hr 42 331,969  
Lambeth 1hr 40 321,813  
Manchester 1hr 38 555,741  
Wandsworth 1hr 38 329,735  
Nottingham 1hr 37 337,098  
Oxford 1hr 37 151,584  
Southwark 1hr 37 320,017  
Hackney 1hr 37 280,941  
Brighton & Hove 1hr 36 291,738  10 

Tower Hamlets is the UK’s second biggest user of social media per person in the UK, with an estimated average of one hour and 42 minutes online per person each day.  

 In third place was Lambeth, recording daily usage average of one hour 40 minutes per person among the London borough’s population of 321,813. 

 Outside of London, the UK’s most social media hungry place is Manchester, where the estimated average time online per person is one hour and 38 minutes. The city has one of the UK’s highest percentages of women the ages of 16 and 24 (18%) as well as 17% of men in the same age group, the demographic which spends the third highest amount of time online each day. 

 The London borough of Wandsworth places fifth in the list, with an estimated one hour 38 minutes online daily, while Nottingham is sixth.

THE BOTTOM 10 AREAS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA APP AND SITE USAGEIN THE UK  
UK area  Daily Hours Spent per Person Population Area  Overall Rank 
North Norfolk 1hr 00 105,167  
Rother 1hr 01 96,716  
East Lindsey 1hr 03 142,030  
East Devon 1hr 05 148,080  
Tendring 1hr 06 147,353  
South Hams 1hr 06 87,946  
West Devon 1hr 06 56,139  
Dorset 1hr 06 379,791  
New Forest 1hr 07 179,649  
Torridge 1hr 07 68,719  10 

North Norfolk is the least social media active area in the UK, individuals spend one hour on social media sites and apps daily. Rother, in East Sussex has the second lowest social media usage in the country, at an estimated one hour and one minute per person each day. East Lindsey in Lincolnshire spends the third least time on social media – one hour and two minutes a day. 

 A spokesperson for VPN Overview said: “Social media has become an integral part of people’s daily lives, and so many have relied on it, particularly in the past 18 months, to stay in touch with friends and family. However, it is also important to remain aware of the risks of spending too much time on social platforms.” 


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