Australians spend 41 hours weekly online as digital ad spend surges

Australians are spending an average of 41 hours per week online, exceeding the global average and equating to the hours of a standard full-time job.

Research from the Digital 2026: Australia report, compiled by Meltwater and We Are Social, provides a comprehensive picture of evolving digital behaviours in Australia, with trends tracked in media consumption, social media usage, advertising, and attitudes towards emerging technologies.

Increasing time on social media

Nearly half of the average Australian's online time is spent on social platforms. The findings underscore the growing influence of these platforms on how Australians connect, discover content and make decisions online. Analysis shows six in ten Australians use social media platforms, including traditional networks, forums, Q&A sites and community boards, monthly to research brands-closely matching the proportion turning to search engines for this purpose. Optimising brand visibility in more socially oriented and AI-first search environments is now considered a significant opportunity for businesses hoping to shape purchase journeys at an early stage.

Reddit's ascent

The report identifies Reddit as an increasingly prominent platform in Australia. Its usage rate is three times higher than the global average, and it now reports a potential advertising reach of more than 23 million. Reddit is ranked as the country's fifth most visited website, and users spend more time per session on Reddit than on platforms such as Facebook or Instagram. These figures point to an opportunity for brands seeking engagement with communities characterised by high intent and authenticity.

YouTube's broad audience

YouTube remains the platform with the broadest reach, engaging 80% of internet users in Australia and offering a potential advertising audience of 21 million. On average, Australians spend upwards of 11 minutes per session on YouTube-longer than on any other app. Significantly, women aged 65 and over represent the platform's largest audience segment for advertising, followed by women aged 35 to 44, indicating a departure from YouTube's commonly perceived younger demographic.

Growth in digital and influencer advertising

The annual digital advertising spend in Australia has risen to USD $20.7 billion, with digital accounting for 74% (USD $15.4 billion) of this figure. On a per capita basis, Australia is the third highest spender globally on digital advertising, with spending reaching USD $769 per person and USD $586 per internet user. Social media accounts for USD $4.73 billion of the total, up 11% year-on-year.

Influencer marketing now has a market value of USD $590 million, a 13.5% increase in the past year, pointing to its growing influence in both brand building and conversion. Programmematic advertising continues to account for a significant share at 88.6% of digital ad revenue, placing Australia among the global leaders in this area.

Australians' attitudes to AI

Artificial intelligence adoption is increasing, with 30% of Australians stating they use ChatGPT monthly. However, only 34.2% say they are excited about AI developments, ranking Australia among the least enthusiastic countries globally. Despite this, ChatGPT is responsible for over 85% of chatbot-to-website referrals, indicating a shift towards generative engine optimisation (GEO) and away from traditional search engine optimisation (SEO).

Additional insights

Other key data from the report includes a total of 21 million social media user identities in Australia-representing 78% of the national population. TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram dominate user time, with average TikTok use reaching 1 hour and 14 minutes daily. Facebook remains the main driver of web traffic referrals from social media, contributing 67% of platform-generated link clicks. Video gaming is also widespread, with 81% of Australians playing, and 56% opting for mobile gaming.

Industry perspectives

"As trust declines and algorithm fatigue grows, Australians are increasingly turning to content and people that feel real and credible. The rise of Reddit as one of the country's most engaged platforms, alongside continued growth in influencer marketing spend, reflect a clear shift in where brand investment is headed. Authenticity is the currency for brands looking to cut through the noise - and the opportunity now lies in building value-aligned partnerships with creators who can drive meaningful and measurable impact. What's more, with LLMs reshaping search, fake content on the rise and media more fragmented than ever, this year calls for a fundamental rethink - not just of strategy, but how we track, measure and invest across digital."

Ross Candido, Vice President ANZ at Meltwater, made these remarks reflecting on the challenging environment presented by evolving consumer trust and fragmented media landscapes.

"Social is where discovery starts, trust is built and relevance is won, and we're seeing a fundamental shift in how its influence works. It's no longer confined to one platform, demographic or content type: now it's more distributed, dynamic and deeply embedded in culture. The smartest brands are moving away from siloed planning and towards integrated approaches that connect paid, owned and earned, because that's how people experience the internet. The ones performing best are connecting the dots through creators, communities and content that drive trust, relevance and results at scale."

Suzie Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of We Are Social APAC, spoke to the integration of social media in daily internet use and its changing dynamics for businesses.