Four in ten Facebook users consider quitting – even if they did, it would still have more users than Instagram or Twitter

Facebook ranks as the social media platform that users want to leave the most, with 43% of its users considering a detox
But even if all 43% did quit – Facebook would still have more than 25 million users, a higher total than apps like Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat

A new study has found that 43% of UK Facebook users have considered leaving it in the past year, but that even if they did, the platform would still have in excess of 25 million users – more than networks like Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat currently have.

The study by cybersecurity experts VPNOverview.com analysed data from Statista on which social media platforms users wish to take a detox from, revealing that Facebook had the highest percentage of users who have considered leaving, at 43%.

The results show the true scale of Facebook’s dominance of social media in the UK. Recent figures indicate that the platform hosts 44.8 million daily active users, therefore if all 43% of users (19.26 million) who have considered leaving the platform did decide to quit, Facebook would still have 25.53 million users.

That would put it behind just three other social networks based on their current number of daily active users – YouTube, which has 39 million, WhatsApp, which has 30 million, and LinkedIn, which has 27.5 million. And the Meta-owned site would still have a higher user total than Instagram (24.4 million), Snapchat (18.7 million), and Twitter (13.7 million)

Commenting on the findings a spokesperson for VPNOverview.com said: “These figures help us see how dominant Facebook is on the UK’s social media landscape. Nearly half of its users are expressing a desire to stop using the platform, but even if every single one of them did leave, it would remain one of the biggest social networks in the country, with the number of users left equivalent to nearly half the UK’s adult population. As conversations about the ‘metaverse’ continue, it’s clear that the newly named Meta is in an extremely strong position in the UK. ”

Tumblr has the second-highest percentage of users who wish to take a break from the platform. The site has a total of 9.5 million users, while 39% (3.7 million) have considered leaving, which would leave 5.79 million users.

Taking third place is Snapchat with 37% (6.91 million) of its users thinking about leaving the app. As a result, its user count of 18.7 million would drop to 11.78 million.

Twitter currently has around 13.7 million users, and a total of 31% (4.24 million) are looking to take a break from the app – the fourth-highest percentage in the study, which would leave Twitter with 9.45 million UK users.

Following fifth is TikTok, with an estimated 3.7 million users on the platform, 30% of which are looking to take a detox, which equates to 1.11 million people.

Social media users considering a digital detox

Apps Users DAU % Considering leaving Considering Digital Detox (Million) How many
users
remaining
1 Facebook 44,800,000 43 19,264,000 25,536,000

2 Tumblr 9,500,000 39 3,705,000 5,795,000

3 Snapchat 18,700,000 37 6,919,000 11,781,000

4 Twitter 13,700,000 31 4,247,000 9,453,000

5 TikTok 3,700,000 30 1,110,000 2,590,000

6 Instagram 24,400,000 24 5,856,000 18,544,000

7 LinkedIn 27,500,000 22 6,050,000 21,450,000

8 Pinterest 10,600,000 21 2,226,000 8,374,000

9 WhatsApp 30,000,000 7 2,100,000 27,900,000

10 YouTube 39,000,000 6 2,340,000 36,660,000