Ananya Panday announces new initiative against online bullying
Sharing the news among her followers, Ananya took to social media and posted a video, urging people to stop creating hatred on social media platforms.
We wake up to ‘Good Morning’ WhatsApp forwards and scroll through late night memes on Instagram, social media has powered the life of millions of Indians everyday.
In this day and age, an average person can not imagine a life without their phone. Whether it’s morning news updates or watching a food recipe on YouTube, or even doomscrolling on Instagram before going to bed, India’s digital habits continue to stack up at a remarkable pace.
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This World Social Media Day, let’s reflect on the statistics that explain India’s scroll culture.
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More than 1 billion Indians are online
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) stated that as of December 31, 2025, the Indian internet subscriber base was 1.029 billion. About 75% of Indians have access to the internet, making India one of the largest users of the internet globally.
This increase in the amount of users accessing the internet has led to further development of digital payments, online education, content creation and social media.
India is mobile-first nation
Smartphones are the only propelled device that is driving India’s digital revolution. The TRAI report suggests that 983 million Indian internet subscribers connect to the net wireless, which simply means that approximately 96% of India’s internet subscribers access the internet using smartphones.
Smartphones have given us the liberty to access social media, OTT platforms, entertainment, communication and thus mobile applications are a preferred means of doing so.
Scrolling has reached rural India too
India’s digital expansion is no longer limited to metropolitan cities.
According to TRAI, the country has 762 million urban telecom subscribers and 544 million rural subscribers. This means almost 42 per cent of India’s telecom subscribers are now from rural areas, an indication of how far internet connectivity has penetrated beyond urban centres.
Better network coverage and affordable smartphones have been a key driver in getting millions of new users online.
Indians spend hours on social media every day
It isn’t just about connectivity, the time spent online using these apps are growing as well.
India is one of the largest consumers of social media in the world with an average Indian spending 2 hours and 28 minutes on social media every day, a study has found.
The report said that India has one of the world’s largest audiences for YouTube and large user bases on Instagram and Facebook.
WhatsApp remains India’s favourite messaging app
India is the biggest country using WhatsApp; many millions use WhatsApp to do all sorts of things like talking to their families, discussing work-related matters in the office, and communicating for business purposes.
Social media does not mean staying connected any more. Social media has now become an important source of news, entertainment, learning, buying and even public debate.
The scroll isn’t slowing down
With over one billion Internet subscribers in India along with the proliferation of smartphones and digital connectivity in India’s rural areas, the Indian online universe keeps growing.
In India celebrating World Social Media Day, it can be safely stated that the next swipe, scroll or post is just around the corner.
Also Read: How cancelling plans became the best thing Indians do
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