Australians spend more than a full‑time job online each week

Reports

Our latest Digital 2026: Australia report, in partnership with Meltwater, unpacks how Australians spend their time online, which platforms are rising and what it all means for brands in 2026. From Reddit’s growth to YouTube’s shifting audience and the real state of AI trust, this is essential reading for marketers who want to stay culturally connected and commercially sharp.

Australians are spending more time online than ever before, an average of 41 hours a week, to be exact. That’s more than a full-time job, and well above the global average of 33 hours. Nearly half of that time is being spent on social media, reinforcing just how central these platforms have become in our everyday lives.

That stat is just one of many from Digital 2026: Australia, our latest annual report created in partnership with Meltwater. The report offers a deep dive into how people in Australia are spending their time online: the platforms they’re using, the content they’re consuming, the tools they trust (or don’t), and how all of it is reshaping brand discovery, decision-making and culture at large.

It’s essential reading for any marketer looking to build sharper, more culturally-connected work in the year ahead. Here are some of the standouts:

Social media is now on par with search for brand discovery

Six in ten Australians use social media (including forums, community boards, and Q&A platforms) to research brands. That’s almost equal to the proportion using search engines. Proof that people aren’t just watching videos or scrolling feeds: they’re actively evaluating brands in these spaces. That means your content, your community presence, and even your replies are shaping brand perception.

Reddit is having a moment

Reddit usage in Australia is three times higher than the global average. With a potential ad reach of 23.3 million and ranking as the fifth most-visited site in the country, Reddit is quietly becoming a space where real conversations happen. For brands, it’s a chance to listen first, understand what matters to people, and contribute in a way that’s actually welcome. We explore this further in our latest piece for Campaign Asia, looking at how Reddit’s community-driven structure offers unique value for brands willing to engage authentically.

YouTube remains the most dominant platform

YouTube remains the most opened and most-watched mobile app in the country, and now reaches 80% of internet users. But here’s the twist: the platform’s largest advertising audience segment is women aged 65+, followed by women aged 35–44, flipping the stereotype of YouTube as a youth-focused platform. YouTube remains a key space for reaching people across generations.

Where attention goes, ad dollars follow

In 2025, Australia’s total advertising spend hit USD 20.7 billion, with digital accounting for 74% of that. Social media captured USD 4.73 billion (up 11% year-on-year), while influencer marketing reached USD 590 million (up 13.5%). More and more brands are investing where people are truly paying attention: creator-led content, platform-native formats and social-first storytelling.

AI adoption is high, but so is scepticism

One in three Australians says they use ChatGPT monthly, and the platform now drives 85% of global AI-related web traffic referrals. But the excitement hasn’t quite caught on here: only 34.2% of Australians express enthusiasm about AI, making us one of the most cautious countries globally. For brands, it’s a reminder that while AI might power experiences, trust still needs to be earned.

Key insights from the report include:

● There are 21 million social media user identities in Australia, equal to 78% of the total population
● TikTok, YouTube and Instagram dominate time spent, with TikTok users averaging 1 hour and 14 minutes per day
● Facebook is still the leading source of web traffic referrals, responsible for 67% of all social platform link clicks
● 81% of Australians play video games, with mobile gaming the most popular format at 56%

As Suzie Shaw, our APAC CEO, puts it: “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.”

From travel to entertainment, retail to tech, there’s something in this report for every category marketer. Download it now and use it to spark fresh thinking for 2026: 👉 Digital 2026: Australia