Washington Post: How addicted are people to social media? We found a way to measure it.. “The average person with Internet access spends 2.5 hours each day on social media, by one estimate, and there are now 3.8 billion social media users worldwide. A natural interpretation of these facts is that social media adds tremendous value to our lives. But anecdotally and in surveys, many people say they spend too much time on social media. Indeed, in surveys we’ve conducted, social media and smartphone use are two of the top five activities where people feel that they have self-control problems (along with exercising, saving money and eating unhealthy food).”